The Light of Prophecy
by ArcanusLim
Summary: Formerly 'The Angel of Prophecy'. When Link convinces Zelda not to send him back to his original time, a prophecy is set into motion. Now, one man must set out to fulfill his destiny. Post OoT. Currently Reposting. See inside for more details. HIATUS
1. Prologue

**(1/28/11): **I originally wrote this story in September of '07. As I look back at what I wrote with this profile, I can't help but be... what's a fitting word? Amazed? Disappointed? Disgusted? Take your pick. My point is that my writing ability back then was terrible compared to now. Sure, I'm not an amazing writer, and I won't pretend that I am. Having read great fanfics written by other authors, I'll settle for mediocre. If you decide to read what I have written, I will let you be the judge of that.

I have decided not to completely delete this story and repost it so that the original publish date remains. This applies to my others stories as well: _Set Up_, _Goodye_, _Return_, and _A War of Lies_. I will start with _The Angel of Prophecy_ and will probably revise the first two of those stated before. I may just delete the other two, but I haven't decided yet. Until then, I ask that you do not read those four unless you really want to. If you do, I recommend to set your expectations to very low.

Okay, I'll shut up now.

**Full Summary: **When Link convinces Princess Zelda not to send him back to his original time, a prophecy is set into motion. Now, one man's life will forever change as he sets out to fulfill his destiny. Hyrule's short period of peace is coming to an end. The darkness is returning, and only the Light of Prophecy can stop it.

I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_. All rights belong to Nintendo.

I do not own _The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_ Manga. All rights belong to Akira Himekawa.

* * *

**The Light of Prophecy**

Prologue

_"Now... go back. To the place you should be... The form you should have."_

Link knelt down with his left arm across his chest. With a firm voice, he spoke, _"I am the Hero of Time. No matter when, no matter where, for Hyrule, and for Princess Zelda... I will fight."_

Zelda sadly looked at the crouched form of the hero who had saved her kingdom from the darkness. The warrior she had fought beside. The man she had come to... No, this was not to time for such thoughts. He deserved to have those seven years he lost without the horrors of war and destruction. For him, she would do this.

Floating silently above her companion, Navi observed the situation. Neither of them deserved this. Peace had returned to Hyrule, yet there was still one conflict that had been yet to be resolved. _"..." _

He slowly brought out the Ocarina of Time and placed it in her hand. For a brief moment, they both held onto the sacred item, neither wanting to let go. Finally, Link released his grasp and watched as Zelda raised the instrument to her lips to play the song that would return him to his original time.

_(Taken from _The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_ Manga...)_

In a few seconds, thoughts began to run through the hero's mind. Could he really allow her to go through with this? Who would stand beside her as she worked to rebuild Hyrule? Only the two of them knew what had occurred during the final battle. Could she bare that burden alone? Would she remember him in the "past"? That last thought was the one to snap him from his thoughts. There was a chance she wouldn't remember him. That was one chance he was not willing to take.

As Zelda softly blew into the Ocarina to play the first note, Link said quiety but firmly, "Wait."

The princess's eyes shot up at his words, and she mentally kicked herself for stopping. She closed her eyes and began the song again. Before she could start, however, she felt a hand gently grab her wrist. She opened her eyes and raised her head to find Link staring at her.

"Don't do this," he said.

"I must. You do not belong in this time. You are meant to live out those seven years I took from you," she told him.

"_Took_? You didn't _take_ anything from me. The reason I fought was for you. Yes, I fought for Hyrule as well, but you gave me the will to fight. If you send me back, what is the possibility we won't meet again? We were destined to meet in ordered to defeat Ganondorf, but that won't be the same the second time around." He looked down and murmured, "I can't lose you."

She was touched by his words but still felt it was necessary to send him back. "We'll meet again. I promise," she said softly.

Link raised his head and snapped, "How can you say that? Time is not something to be tampered with. I know that all too well. There's no guarantee that will be the case." His eyes locked with hers. "Please," he pleaded. "Don't do this."

Both kept their gaze in place for several moments until Zelda nodded. Link slowly removed his hand from her wrist. Zelda stared at the Ocarina in her hand for a moment before placing it in Link's hands. He raised an eyebrow at this. "You've held it for seven years. It is only right that it continues to be in your possession," she answered. He accepted the instrument from her and tucked it away in the pocket of his tunic.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and said, "Thank you." Zelda moved closer to him and rested her head against his chest. Link wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes. Something was still bothering him though.

"Where are we? And how do we get out of here?"

* * *

**Author's Note: **This prologue is simply to explain why Link hasn't been sent back to his time. It is also to start the relationship between he and Zelda that I will slightly build throughout the story. In the original fanfic, there chapter wasn't here, and as I looked back, I sort of started the story out of nowhere. At least with this, there may be less confusion. As already said above, I used the manga as a reference for this chapter. As for the last line, I'm referring to the ending of _Ocarina of Time_. Even now, after all these years, I can't help but wonder, "Why are they floating in the air?" Maybe some of you can enlighten me.

Lastly, I am well aware that Zelda remembers Link back in the "past" (after all, she gives him the Ocarina before the events of _Majora's Mask_), but they didn't know that would be the case. I've always liked the Link x Zelda pairing, so I decided to incorporate it into the story, but it won't be a major part.

Well, until next time.


	2. Chapter 1

Ugh. What is wrong with me? It should not have taken me two and a half weeks to update. Sure, I've been busy but not _that_ busy. I'll do my best to not to take as long next time.

As you probably noticed, I have changed the title to _The Light of Prophecy_. When I was going through the revised plot of the story, I felt the old title wasn't as fitting.

I would like to thank **LoveandZeLink** for pointing out a minor discrepancy. Last chapter, I stated that the dialogue for the beginning was a reference from the manga. I would like clarify that I was only using the dialogue. The setting of the ending, however, is still the game's version. Sorry for any confusion that may have caused.

I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_.

* * *

Chapter One

Deep within the confines of the Evil Realm, a maniacal laugh echoed throughout the void.

"What a fool you are Hero of Time! You do not belong in this time, and by staying here, you have caused the seal to fail. Hyrule shall be mine once more!"

* * *

It is by the power of the Goddesses that the world was created. Throughout history, that has been the general belief. When the Goddesses departed for the heavens, they left the Triforce at the point where they left the world. That land soon became Hyrule. Over time, however, some people have forgotten that other places exist. While the land of Hyrule is considered the greatest in the world, there are many other thriving nations.

On a continent separate from that of Hyrule, stands a simple village known as Illum. To an outsider, the place would be considered an ordinary village, devoid of anything special. To the people of Illum, however, it was their home, and nothing was more special than that. Having grown up in a simple setting, some chose to remain in the village; others left in search of a higher calling.

The marketplace of Illum was a simple center where the people purchased their daily needs. Walking through the streets, a young man took in the area he was in. He had black hair that reached his shoulders in the back, and bangs fell just above his dark green eyes in the front. Being fairly tall, it was not difficult to observed what was going around him. It was the same as always. Little children ran through the streets, laughing as their parents attempted to chase after them. Onlookers watched the scene, amused. Those buying goods mainly ignored what has happening, trying to finish their shopping and return home.

The young man sighed. For the twenty-one years of his life, he had left Illum only a handful of times. His parents had been like him, their families having lived in the village for generations. He supposed he could understand how they felt. Like here was peaceful. While news of the outside world often reached Illum, the effects of various events rarely impacted life in the village. For those who did not mind a lack of change, Illum was perfect.

However, the young man _wanted _change. He could have left years ago, but he felt he had a sense of duty to remain. His mother had died giving birth to him, and his father had passed away two years ago when an airborne illness swept through Illum, leaving him the last of his family. As one of the oldest families in the village, his name held a sense of authority. He wanted to leave, but many looked up him. Could he really abandon them like that?

He sighed and looked over his shoulder. "Still being followed," he muttered. For the past several minutes, someone had been following him. In addition, the person was wearing a hood, preventing him from seeing who it was. He decided it was time to find out who this mysterious person was. He continued walking for several moments, inconspicuously reaching his cloak. He turned left into an alley and waited. A few moments later, the hooded person walked around the corner and was pushed against the wall with a knife against his or her throat.

"Who are you, and why have you been following me?" the raven-haired man hissed. He looked into the hood of the person's cloak and was unsurprised to see the face of a man he did not recognize.

"Are you Seraph Arsinev?" the man asked.

"Answer my question. It's obvious you're not from here. Who are you?"

"I go by the name of Rael. I am a mere traveler. Confirm that you are the last of the Arsinev name and I will answer your second question."

The young man scowled. Still holding the man known as Rael against the wall, he moved part of his own cloak and revealed a pendant around his neck. Attached to a silver chain was a silver seven-pointed star with a five-pointed star in the center: the Arsinev family symbol.

"Happy?" Seraph asked.

Rael nodded. "Now, if you don't mind," he said, gesturing to the small space between the two. Seraph narrowed his eyes and let go of the man. Rael removed his hood, revealing the face of a man who was mostly likely in his mid-thirties. He had light brown hair that fell below his shoulders and dark brown eyes that were almost black.

"As I told you before," the older man began, "my name is Rael. It is true that I am a mere traveler, but I have been looking for someone. I believe that person is you."

Seraph gripped his knife tightly. "Why?" he asked.

"Do you believe in prophecies?"

"I believe everyone has a certain fate but is not necessarily bound to it."

"Well said. What would you do if I said there was a rather major prophecy pertaining to you?"

"It'd take more than a few words for me to believe that."

Rael grinned. "I suspected as much." He closed his eyes as if in thought and slowly recited,_ "Evil shall return to the land of the Three, for the seal cannot hold without Time being split... When the world has cycled thrice, darkness shall cover the land once more... Time and Destiny shall falter without the light of Prophecy... To defeat the Evil once more, Time, Destiny, and Prophecy must unite... Evil shall reign ultimately should they fail..."__  
_

_The land of the Three... that must be Hyrule. Evil, Time, Destiny, and Prophecy,_ Seraph thought and mentally berated himself for letting his mind wander that far. "And how exactly am I suppose to believe that is real? For all I know, you made all that up. Even if that prophecy is genuine, how do you know it pertains to me?"

The older man nodded. "Your distrust is understandable. It is up to you whether you decide to act or not. As for how do I know, call it intuition."

"Intuition," Seraph repeated. "Let's say this prophecy is real, and the darkness cannot only be stopped by this 'light of Prophecy'. You're going to leave it to _intuition_?"

Rael nodded and grinned again. "Pretty much."

"Unbelievable."

"You don't have to believe me. As I said, you must decide whether or not to act." The older man turned to the street. "Should you decide to believe me, come here at midnight," he said and walked away.

Seraph stood there for several moments before deciding to head back home. Surely, this was just a joke. As that entered his mind, however, doubt formed. What if it was true? But it couldn't! There was no way to know who the prophecy was talking about. Once he reached his house, he pulled out a key from his cloak and unlocked the door. He looked up and noticed that the sun was still overhead. The day was far from over. He opened the door and stepped inside.

Even though his family was of high ranking in Illum, the house would likely be called modest. It was large enough to raise a fairly big family, but it, by no means, showed any signs of luxury. Having been an only child with only one parent, Seraph had always felt that the place was too big. With his father gone, it only seemed bigger. The house had been around for generations, so there was nothing to be done but live with it.

Seraph stopped at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the bedrooms. He had always wanted to change the world but felt confined to the village. His father had always told him, "You can change the world just by being yourself." It made sense, but to Seraph, it wasn't enough. Over the years, his desire to leave Illum had grown into a need. The only thing keeping him here was familial obligations. Perhaps what Rael had told him was a sign. Maybe it was time to leave.

But what if it was a trap? After all, he had been told to return to the alley at midnight. For all he knew, he could be attacked. He closed his eyes and sighed. What did he have to lose? If what Rael said was true, then this was the change he was looking for. If it was a trap and he lost his life, then so be it. He decided he would rather die than live an unfulfilled life. Of course, he would still keep his guard up. As he ascended the staircase, he began preparations in his mind.

* * *

It had been another long day in Hyrule Castle Town. Since the defeat of Ganondorf three years ago, the town had gone through a lengthy, yet successful, restoration. The damage done to the once lively town had been massive. Life around had withered away, and countless buildings had been destroyed. During Ganondorf's reign, everyone from Castle Town had either fled or perished. The entire town had become a barren wasteland.

It was only recently that the place had started to regain its sense of life. The old, still-standing buildings had been cleared away to make room, and everything had been rebuilt in some form. Those who had fled gradually returned, and within the first year and a half, Castle Town had been restored.

However, during the reconstruction of the town, the land Hyrule Castle once stood on had remained untouched. The rebuilding of the castle had been postponed until the town was finished. As the recreation of the castle started, however, those involved wondered how it would be done. If the damage to Castle Town had been massive, then the only word to describe the damage done to the castle was catastrophic. The entire structure had been reduced to rubble, and the land around had lost all signs of life. The lava that had once surrounded Ganon's Castle had disappeared, but it had done its damage.

The first step, it had been decided, was to purge the remaining darkness; that had required a great deal of magic. After doing so, the condition of the land slowly improved, and the process of rebuilding the castle began. It had taken a year to complete the task, and even then, some felt it would never be as great as the original. Others argued that is was better than ever.

What did stay the same, however, was the courtyard.

A young blonde-haired warrior garbed in a green tunic walked through the passage to the courtyard. He possessed sharp blue eyes that had seen too much for his age. On his back were a sword and shield, and floating over his left shoulder was a small blue fairy. It was Link, the legendary Hero of Time. As he walked by, guards patrolling the area stopped and saluted him.

"And to think there was a time when we had to sneak past them," the fairy said.

"It would have been easier if you hadn't been so loud, Navi," the blonde pointed out.

"Me? Maybe if you had been a bit stealthier, we wouldn't have been caught!" She stopped as she noticed the guards were giving her odd looks.

Link smirked. "My point exactly."

Navi grumbled something inaudible and hit the blonde in the head. Link was unfazed by this and continued toward the courtyard. As he reached the last hallway, he could see Princess Zelda sitting down in the small center of flowers. He admired her as he entered the courtyard. With her stunning beauty, unparalleled wisdom, and great ability to withstand hardship, he couldn't think of anyone better to lead Hyrule. He couldn't think of any other woman he'd rather have at his side either.

Zelda raised her head as she heard Link approaching and smiled. She stood up, walked over to him, and embraced him. He quickly returned the hug and held her as she rested her head against his chest. They stood there for a few minutes until Zelda raised her head.

Link immediately noticed the worried look on her face. "What's wrong?"

Zelda hesitated for a moment before answering, "It's about the seal."

He frowned. "How weak is it now?"

She lowered her head and said softly, "Link, it's going to break soon."

Link's body stiffened for a moment before relaxing. He placed a finger under her chin, gently lifted her face, and looked into her eyes. "We've beaten him before, and we'll do it again. He's not taking Hyrule this time. I promise."

Zelda rested her head against his chest again and closed her eyes. She knew he'd do everything in his power to keep his promise.

* * *

Seraph stood outside of his house and took one last look at it. He had written a letter saying goodbye and had left it in the foyer. Someone would come by at some point, but one way or another, he would be long gone by then. He turned around and began walking away. He knew he wouldn't be coming back.

Sheathed at his left side was a beautifully crafted sword with a black hilt; it had been his father's. He had been taught to wield a sword when he was seven, and while he was by no means a master, he could definitely hold his own in a fight. Underneath his cloak was the same knife he had been carrying earlier that day. If this was going to be a trap, then he wasn't going down without a fight. As he neared the alley where he had spoken with Rael, he saw a light shining from inside. He turned around the corner and saw Rael standing to the side of a circle on the ground that was emitting a silver light. From afar, Seraph could see symbols around it with light shining from them too.

Rael spotted him and waved him over. Seraph warily approached the man and kept an eye out for any sign of movement. When he reached the older man, the Rael gestured to the glowing circle.

"This will take you to Fearlin," he said. Fearlin was the port city on the east end of the continent. "From there," he continued, "you'll take a ship to Elmare."

The younger man racked his brains for the location of Elmare. Rael noticed and supplied, "It's the northernmost city on the Hyrulean continent. You'll have to venture over Death Mountain to get to the Kingdom of Hyrule." He nodded to the circle. "Whenever you're ready." Seraph took a deep breath and nodded. He slowly stepped into the circle. Almost immediately, he felt something pull him forward, and the alley disappeared.

Whatever was coming, he would be ready.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, now you've met Seraph, my original character. As you may have guessed, he is going to have the largest role in the story. Unlike the original story, however, Link and Zelda are going to contribute much more.

Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think.

**Thanks to my reviewers!**

LoveandZeLink**  
**


	3. Chapter 2

Yay, another chapter that took too long to write. I think it's safe to say it'll take me about two and a half weeks per chapter.

I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_.

* * *

Chapter Two

With a flash of light, Seraph stumbled forward and fell to his hands and knees. He winced slightly as his hands were cut from scrapping the ground. "A little warning would have been nice," he muttered.

He raised his head and looked around to see that he was in another alley. He slowly got to his feet and exited the alley with his guard up. He had come to Fearlin once when he was young with his father. While he doubted he would remember the place, one thing did stick out in his mind. There had been a clock tower nearby the docks. It wasn't much, but it would have to do until he could receive better confirmation.

Apart from the moon overhead and a few houses, there were no lights as Seraph walked through the streets. While he had indeed been transported to another city, he did not know exactly where he was. Until he did, he would keep his guard up. With that being the case, he was jumping at the slightest sign of movement or sound. After walking for several more minutes, Seraph spotted the clock tower in the distance. It was too dark to see the time from where he was, so he moved closer. The tower was an unimpressive structure made out of what looked like steel. It stood at about forty meters and had a simple design.

Seraph looked at the clock. _3:15,_ it read. Assuming that Fearlin was three hours ahead of Illum, Rael had brought him here instantly. It would be some time until a ship would leave for Elmare, so Seraph thought about finding an inn to stay in for a few hours. He decided against it, figuring he would get some sleep on the ship. He stopped. What if there wasn't a ship to take him to Elmare? He could see the docks from where he was and hurried over there.

When he reached the docks, he searched for a schedule. He found one posted on a nearby board and quickly looked down the list. He cursed. While the schedule confirmed that he was in Fearlin, it also confirmed what he was afraid of. There wouldn't be another passenger ship leaving for Elmare until next week! There had to be another way.

"You're out late," a voice came from behind.

Seraph jumped and spun around. Standing in front of him was a large man who looked to be in his thirties. He was much taller than Seraph and had ragged blonde hair and brown eyes. He had several scars on his face, but they did not seem to add any intimidation. Perhaps that was because the rest of his appearance did the intimidating. He had on a dark blue vest that revealed his big arms and was wearing black pants. Seraph eyed the man warily. He looked strong enough to snap him in half. Judging by the look the man was giving him, he doubted he would be able to make up a story. He had never been a good liar anyway.

"I just arrived in Fearlin, and I need to get to Hyrule," said Seraph. "Why are you out at this time?"

"Hyrule, huh? Well, as I'm sure you know, you need to go to Elmare first, and since you've already checked the schedule, I'm sure you know there won't be another ship to take you there for another week," the man said. "As for me, I'm just working on some last-minute preparations." He pointed to a ship over his shoulder.

Seraph looked at where the man had pointed. Since the docks were more open, there was more light, and Seraph was able to read the name of the ship painted on its hull. He quickly glanced at the schedule and saw that the ship was leaving for Elmare at noon. He turned back to the man to find that he was grinning.

"I see you're a quick thinker. Yep, I'm heading for Elmare later today. That's a private ship though. I'm afraid you can't come with."

Seraph reached into his cloak. "I have money." He pulled out several slips of paper.

The man shook his head. "Sorry, kid. The captain's from Elmare. He's only going to take rupees." He turned around. "Well, I'd better get back to work." He walked away and waved over his shoulder.

Seraph cursed. Now what was he going to do? He could just hear Rael's voice.

"Use your imagination."

He cursed at Rael in his head. Why couldn't he have just sent him to Hyrule? He didn't have any problem transporting him to Fearlin. Seraph sighed and furrowed his brow in thought. He glanced at the ship for a moment before shaking his head.

That wouldn't work, would it?

* * *

Link and Zelda walked into the Temple of Time with Impa following. Ever since the defeat of Ganondorf, the Sages had been able to resume their daily lives. They had believed the seal on the Evil King would have lasted for at least a few centuries and were surprised when their leader had called for a meeting in the Chamber of Sages, as it was the only place all seven of them could meet. The three companions stepped onto the platform bearing the symbol of the Triforce. Zelda looked at Link and Impa, both of whom nodded, and raised her hand high above her head. With a flash light, the three disappeared from the temple.

With the same flash of light, the three of them appeared in the Chamber of the Sages. Link craned his neck as he looked around. Every time he came here, he could not help but be stunned by the place's beauty. As a bright light began to radiate from the golden platform in front of them, the three of diverted their attention to the man emerging from the floor. The ancient Sage of Light, Rauru, appeared and bowed to the three.

"Hero of Time, Sage of Time*, Sage of Shadow, it has been far too long," he said.

"Please, Rauru," Zelda said, "forsake the formalities. We are all equals here."

The old sage bowed his head. "You are too kind, Princess."

Link turned his head slightly to the right as light emerged from the green platform. He grinned as his childhood friend, Saria, appeared and ran over to hug him.

"Link!"

The blonde warrior embraced the green-haired girl. "Hey Saria, sorry I haven't come to visit in awhile."

She smiled. "It's fine. After all, you've been spending time with Zelda." She giggled lightly as the two blondes blushed. Despite her child-like appearance, Saria was one of the wisest people LINK knew. He was so caught up with seeing Saria that he didn't notice the new arrival.

"Brother!" a voice cried out. Link turned to the side only to be wrapped in a crushing embrace.

"Darunia!" he gasped. "Cant. Breathe."

The Goron stepped back and let out a rumbling chuckle. "Still as soft as ever."

More light emerged the blue platform, and the recently-crowned Queen Ruto stepped forth. She approached Zelda and spoke, "He's become quite the man, hasn't he?" She eyed the Hero of Time wistfully for a moment before smiling. "So, how have you been lately, Zelda? Still haven't accepted your coronation?"

Zelda sighed. "We've talked about this before, Ruto."

"Leave Zelda alone, Ruto," a voice came from behind the two. A brown hand gripped the Zora's shoulder. Ruto turned her head and smiled sheepishly at the newest arrival. "There are some traditions you just uphold for no solid reason," Nabooru said.

"Now," Rauru said in a loud voice, "that everyone is here, we should get started. Princess, for what reason have you requested this meeting?" Everyone moved to their respective platform while Link and Zelda remained in the middle.

Zelda raised an eyebrow. Sometimes she thought Rauru forgot that she that was the leader of the Sages. "As Sages, I would have thought you were all aware of this, but it seems my connection to the Evil King through the Triforce is required." She paused. "The seal on Ganondorf will break soon." The Sages let out a sharp gasp.

"What do you mean?" Saria asked. "It's only been three years. Why is the seal failing already?"

Zelda frowned. "I do not know. Ganondorf should have been sealed for a few more centuries."

"Is it possible that he has broken the seal by force?" Darunia asked.

Link answered, "I doubt it. He was barely alive when we sealed him. I suspect he's only just recovered. There's no way he could have broken free so early."

"This doesn't make any sense," Ruto said softly.

"We should have killed him when we had the chance," Nabooru muttered.

"Rauru, Impa, you have been quiet. Is there something you wish to say?" Zelda asked.

The Sheikah lowered her head and furrowed her eyebrows. She glanced up and looked at Rauru. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked him.

"The Prophecy?" She nodded. He frowned and spoke, "But it is rather vague and incomplete. Could it possibly be referring to this?"

"What prophecy is this?" Zelda asked.

Impa nodded to Rauru who spoke, _"Evil shall return... for the seal cannot hold... When the world has cycled... darkness shall cover the land... Time... shall falter without... Prophecy... To defeat the Evil once more... must unite... Evil shall reign..."_

Silence filled the air as everyone pondered over what Rauru had said. Darunia was the one to break the silence. "That's it?_"_

Impa nodded. "I'm afraid so. The Sheikah version is contains even less."

"The prophecy was made after my body was lost, so I do not know the full contents of it," said Rauru.

"Okay," Saria spoke, "let's assume that this prophecy is genuine. Time shall falter without Prophecy. That must mean Link cannot defeat Ganondorf alone. Someone else's destiny is tied in this."

Link frowned. "But for that to be the case, Ganondorf would have had to become much stronger." The others paled. The Evil King had been powerful enough before.

"We must make preparations!" Darunia declared. "Do you how much time we have, Princess? Will we know where he will return from?"

Zelda thought for a moment before answering, "I believe we have a few days, a week at most, before the seal breaks. As for where, I do not know. He may appear in the Temple of Time since it is the gateway to the Sacred Realm. He may emerge in Hyrule Castle as it is the place where he was sealed. There is no way to know. For all we know, he may return on another continent."

Everyone was shocked into silence until Zelda spoke softly, "If that is everything, we all have work to do." Everyone nodded. The princess looked at Impa who had not moved from her platform.

The Sheikah shook her head. "I must fortify the Shadow Temple. Link, I know you'll take care of her."

One by one, everyone began to leave via their platforms. Link and Zelda were the last to leave. As the chamber disappeared in the light, Link thought, _With my life, Impa, I will protect her._

* * *

Seraph sat down against a wooden crate, and let out a deep sigh. He couldn't believe he had managed to sneak onto the ship. He couldn't help but think of why he had thought this was a good idea, but he supposed it would get him to Elmare. That was if he didn't get caught, of course. He closed his eyes. He had overheard some crew members talking earlier and was able to figure out that it would take about a day to get to Elmare. With some of the money he had brought, he had bought some food which was stashed underneath his cloak.

It was a little past noon, and the ship had just left port. Seraph could feel the water pushing up against the ship, and he let out a quiet yawn. He had taken a short nap last night, but that had failed to fend off his weariness. He was hiding in the cargo room, behind some crates, so no one would find him unless they really looked. He doubted that would be the case and allowed himself to drift away.

Seraph's eyes shot open after what seemed like a short moment. He restrained himself from yawning and slowly raised himself from the ground. Someone was in the room.

"Now, where did I put it?" he heard a man say. Seraph groaned silently. Judging by the voice, it was probably the man from earlier that day. He quietly crept around and confirmed his suspicion when he saw the towering form of the man. As if he heard Seraph, the man spun around and grinned after a moment.

"Fancy seeing you here."

"I told you I needed to get to Elmare," said Seraph.

"Yeah I know." His relaxed tone became menacing. "I can't let you get away with this though."

Seraph quickly unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the man. "I need to get to Hyrule, and you're not stopping me."

The blonde cracked his knuckles. "Is that so?" He grabbed a nearby crate and effortlessly hurled it at Seraph. The latter dove to the ground and winced as he heard the crate break with a sharp _Crack!_ This guy wasn't playing around! Seraph got to his feet and paled as he saw the man standing by an open crate with a medium-sized axe in his hands. Seraph charged forward and feinted left once he was in range. Whatever he was planning to do was interrupted when his opponent swung his axe downward. Making sure not to destroy the floor, the man stopped his axe before it struck the ground, but in doing so, he slightly loss his balance.

Seraph took this opportunity and swung the flat side of his sword at the back of the man's head. He had no desire to kill him, so he was only going for nonlethal blows. The man managed to bring his free arm up in time to block the attack, and the impact nearly made Seraph drop his sword. He then swung his axe at Seraph in an attempt to cut him in half. The latter dodged and quickly reassessed his opponent.

He was very strong and fairly quick. There was no doubt about that, but he lacked control. Seraph needed to take advantage of that. He charged forward again and ducked as the blonde swung his axe horizontally at his head. Seraph quickly drove his elbow into the man's gut. The attack seemed to have very little effect, but it still distracted him as Seraph rolled away. The raven-haired man got to his feet and slowly backed up until he was surrounded by crates.

He beckoned his opponent to him, and the man charged forward with his axe over his head. Seraph waited for him to get closer and prepared to move. As the man neared him and swung his axe downward, the younger man sprang himself onto the crate to his right. He was about to move off the crate when the man smashed his axe into the crate that had been behind Seraph a moment ago. The shockwave threw Seraph to the ground, and he grunted in pain as he landed on his right arm. Luckily, there was no sound of his arm breaking. He quickly got to his feet as he heard the man cry out in pain. The blonde was clutching his left eye with his hand. A piece of debris must have hit him.

Seraph gripped his sword and approached the man from behind. The former struck the latter in the back of the head with the flat side of his sword. If he hadn't been trying to kill him, Seraph would have felt sorry for the man as he collapsed face-first onto the floor. Seraph sighed in relief. Now, if he could get out of this room before someone came by, it would be a miracle. He walked over to the door and cautiously opened it. He was met by a wooden pole to face and he staggered back. Bright lights flashed before him as the blinding pain spread throughout his head. His legs gave out, and he dropped to the floor. He weakly raised his head from the ground and saw what looked like the entire crew in front of him.

Before he blacked out, one last thought entered his mind. _So much for getting to Hyrule._

* * *

**Author's Note: ***Although it has not been confirmed, Zelda is often considered the Sage of Time. The other Sages obviously have their own elements, and it is assumed that Time is Zelda's. For the sake of this story, I have decided to go along with that.

**Thanks to my reviewers!**

LoveandZeLink**  
**


	4. Chapter 3

What's wrong with me? It really should not have taken a month to write this chapter. I only hope that the increased length of this chapter helps make up for the delay.

**LoveandZeLink** asked a fair question about what continent Seraph is from. Since a good amount of this story will take place on lands of my creation, it is only fair that I provide a map. I'll try to begin on said map, but I don't know when I'll have it completed since I'm not the best drawer. If anyone would to make a map for me, just send me a message. Thanks in advance for anyone willing to do so.

I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_.

* * *

Chapter Three

Seraph groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. What happened, and why did his head hurt so much? He went to stretch his arms and legs and found that his right limbs were stuck to something. He glanced at his right arm and saw that his wrist was chained to a small metal post in the ground. His right leg was the same case. Realization struck Seraph with such a force that he immediately kicked himself mentally and hit himself in the forehead with his left hand. How could he have been so stupid? Of course there would have been someone waiting on the other side of the door. The entire crew would have had to been deaf to not hear the fight in the cargo hold.

He grumbled inaudibly for his rashness and began taking in his surroundings. He was in a small prison cell. It was too dark for him to observe the area very well. He could feel the waves of the ocean crashing against the ship's hull, signaling that he was still on board the ship rather than being in a prison on land. Seraph wasn't sure if that was a relief or not. If the ship was still sailing, then he couldn't have been out for too long. But that also meant that he was at the mercy of the ship's captain.

By now, his eyes had adjusted to the dark, and he could now see outside of his cell; all he could see was another cell across from his. He looked around his own cell and spotted a small cot with a pot next to it. Seraph was not surprised to find that his possessions had been taken. He froze. The feel of a metal chain against his next was absent. He glanced down at his chest to find that his pendant was missing.

He could understand them taking his sword and knife, but did they really have to go and take _that_? Now, he had lost, not only his father's sword, but the Arsinev family heirloom as well. He muttered a string of curses and hung his head down. Now what was he supposed to do? He was unarmed, and with half of his body restrained, there was no way out. He jerked his right arm against the chain, but his efforts were to no avail. All he could do was wait for someone to come along. He didn't like his inability to do anything, knowing he would probably die when that time came, but he knew there was no use. The only bright side he could see was that he had not been killed yet. They could have thrown him overboard when he was unconscious and that would have been the end of him.

He closed his eyes and rested his head on the wall behind him. He sighed. He had never been patient, and his anxiety only made waiting more painful. For what felt like hours, he sat there in his cell, barely moving and taking small breaths. The loud creak of a door opening caused Seraph to open his eyes and jerk his head up. Within a couple seconds, there was a ragged man standing at the bars of Seraph's cell.

"The captain wants to see you," the man said in gruff voice. He procured a key from his pocket and opened the door. Seraph's body tensed as the man entered the cell. Could this be his chance to escape? He could still use his left limbs. The guard seemed to notice and unsheathed the sword he was carrying from his hip. He pointed it at Seraph.

"Don't even think about it," he said. He kept his sword steady as he approached Seraph and pulled out another key. Seraph allowed his body to relax slightly knowing he wouldn't get far even if he did escape from his cell. The man nodded. "Good choice."

The man knelt down and freed Seraph's arm and leg. Seraph was lifted up by his collar and was lightly pushed forward. "Get moving." He obliged and walked out of his cell. He knew if he made one wrong move, the man wouldn't hesitate to put him down. He walked up the stairs leading to the door and opened it. Expecting it to be bright out, Seraph squinted his eyes. There was no light, however, and he continued forward with his eyes darting around. It was already dark out, and an almost-full moon shone overhead in the clear sky. The man directed Seraph over to door opposite of the one he had just come from.

He knocked on the door and spoke loudly, "Captain, I've brought the prisoner."

"Come in," a voice came in from inside. The man opened the door, pushed Seraph inside, and closed the door as he followed. Seraph was forced into a seat next to a large desk opposite of another chair. The occupant had his back turned preventing the raven-haired man from making out any details.

"You are dismissed," the captain said.

The man objected, "But sir-"

The captain turned around in his chair. "Do as I say. I can handle one unarmed prisoner."

The man was reluctant but left the room without further objection. Now that the captain was facing forward, Seraph was able to examine the man in front of him. He looked to be in a forties and had dark, graying hair. He had a short, trimmed beard and possessed an unimposing build. What did catch Seraph's attention, however, was the burning fury in the man's dark blue eyes. A glint of light diverted his eyes from the captain. There on the desk was the Arsinev family heirloom.

"So," the captain said in a dangerously low voice, "you think you can just sneak aboard my ship? You're lucky to be alive, boy! Do you know why that is?"

Seraph shook his head and retained an impassive face. The captain snatched the pendant from the desk and held it up.

"This is why! Who are you, and why do you have this?" he roared.

In a proud, unwavering voice, Seraph spoke, "I am Seraph Orion Arsinev. As the last of the Arsinev name, that pendant rightfully belongs to me."

The captain leaned back, closed his eyes, and let out a deep sigh. "I was afraid of that," he said as he massaged his temple. Before Seraph could speak, he opened his eyes and continued, "You are the spitting image of Roland."

His father? Well, that wasn't the first time he had heard that. "So I've been told."

"You know, if you didn't have this," the older man said, holding up the pendant, "I would have had you thrown overboard." Seraph nodded, and the captain sighed again. "I owe your father my life."

This was not what Seraph had been expecting. "W-What?" he spluttered.

"Your father saved my life sixteen years ago."

Sixteen years . . . that would have been when he was five years old, the age he had been when he and his father had visited Fearlin. Before Seraph could process this thought, the captain continued, "I had just arrived in Fearlin during the night and had decided to go a pub. It was late; I doubt you would have even been awake at the time." At Seraph's nod, he continued, "I was a just a deckhand at the time, and the trip had been exhausting. I was so tired I didn't even notice I had bumped into a group of thugs."

Seraph winced. That couldn't have ended well.

"They had beaten me for a few minutes, and I was sure they were going to kill me soon. That's when your father showed up. He was just out for a walk when he saw us. I'll never forget that moment. The five of them against him. Your father knocked them out without breaking a sweat. To this day, that was some of the most impressive swordsmanship I have ever seen."

The captain smiled ruefully. "Your father dismissed my thanks, but I told him that I would repay him someday. Over the next few years, we exchanged letters and became friends."

Seraph frowned. He was sure he had never met the captain before.

"You do not recognize me, I am sure," the captain continued. "Your father and I met only a few times a year, but we made sure to keep in touch. I was sorry to hear of his death. My deepest condolences to you." He bowed his head.

Seraph nodded his head in thanks. "So, what will you do with me now?" he asked.

The captain blinked. He threw his head back and laughed. "Ah, you're just like Roland! He was never one to relax until he was absolutely sure." He chuckled for a moment before continuing, "What do you take me for? Do you really think I am going to have the son of the man I owe my life killed? No, I'll consider this as payment for the debt I owe." He raised his to the ceiling. "Rest in peace, my friend."

The older man returned his gaze to Seraph. "So, I hear you need to get to Elmare. Why, I'm surprise you left Illum. I thought you would have stayed and followed your father's footstps." Before Seraph could speak, the captain answered himself, "No, I suppose not. Roland always said you had the desire to leave the village. So why did you think you had to sneak aboard? You could have just paid for a trip. I know this isn't a passenger ship, but I would have been willing to allow you to come with, especially since you had a fair amount of money."

Seraph's jawed dropped. "But that guy said you would only take rupees."

The captain frowned. "Damien said that?" He sighed. "He likes a laugh, that one. I would have taken klenin* just fine."

Seraph muttered an inaudible curse. "Will he be alright?" he asked, somewhat feigning concern.

The captain shrugged. "He took a nasty hit to the eye. We're not sure whether or not he'll lose his eye. He'll be going to see someone when we get to Elmare." He glanced at something over the younger man's shoulder. Seraph turned around and spotted a large wooden clock in the corner of the room.

"Well, would you look at the time," said the older man. "You'd best call it a night. I can arrange for you to sleep in the crew's quarters."

Seraph shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I can sleep in the brig."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it won't be that bad. Besides, it'll be much quieter down there."

The captain laughed. "True."

Seraph rose from his seat and gestured to the pendant on the desk. The captain nodded, and the former grabbed the family heirloom and placed it around his neck.

"I believe these are yours." The captain procured Seraph's sword and knife and set them on the table. He nodded to the sword. "Beautiful sword, that. It's the same one your father used to save my life."

Seraph grabbed both weapons. He buckled the sword to his left side and placed the knife inside his cloak.

"Oh, before I forget." The older man pulled out three purple rupees and tossed them to Seraph. "Klenin won't get you very far on the Hyrulean continent. Four hundred fifty klenin to one hundred fifty rupees. Don't worry about the mess in the cargo hold. I'll take care of it."

Seraph nodded his thanks and turned around. He opened the door and said over his shoulder, "Good night, Captain."

As he closed the door, he heard the captain call out, "'Night, Seraph."

The raven-haired man sighed in relief. He couldn't believe his luck. What were the odds of sneaking onto a ship whose captain had been saved by his father? He silently thanked the Goddesses and headed down to the brig, ready to call it a day.

* * *

Deep in the mind of the sleeping Princess of Hyrule, a purple bolt of energy flashed across a black void. A few moments later, another purple bolt streaked through the air but was joined by a red one. Another moment passed, this one slightly shorter than before, and three bolts appeared in the colors of purple, red, and blue. The trend of another bolt of energy joining the previous ones continued, and the time between each flash lessened. Three more joined the first three in the order of green, orange, and yellow.

The six bolts of energy began flashing in an intricate pattern of a hexagon. Each vertex of the hexagon joined with two other vertices to form a six-pointed star. The bolts started flashing rapidly, each one brighter than the last. When the flashes of light began to occur almost instantly, a seventh, silver bolt streaked horizontally through the star. For a moment, there was darkness and silence. This quickly ended with an ear-piercing shatter of glass and a blinding flash of light.

From the depths of the void, a sinister, bone-chilling laughed emerged.

Zelda jolted from her bed and brought her hand to her chest; she was sweating and breathing heavily. What was it she had seen? There was no doubt about it. The Seal had broken, and Ganondorf was free. How could that be? The last time she had check, there were a few days of strength left in the seal.

She left her bed and walked over to the desk across her huge room. She grabbed a soft piece of cloth and wiped the sweat off her face. She waved her hand, and a candle on the table lit up. She picked up the candle and glanced at the antique clock on the other side of the room. _2:30_, it read. It was far too early, but there was no time to rest. Preparations had to be made. She walked over to her wardrobe and picked out a casual lavender dress. She removed her nightgown and got dressed. When she was finished, she walked over to the door and exited her room.

The guard outside jumped as Zelda emerged. "Is there something wrong, Your Highness?"

She raised a hand to calm him. "Could you please go awake General Link and tell him to meet me in the War Chamber?"

The guard bowed. "Of course, milady." He began to turn around when Zelda spoke.

"Get some rest once you are done, Chiton."

The guard lowered his head again. "Thank you, Your Highness," he said and hurried down the hall.

Zelda sighed and walked in the opposite direction. She had appointed Link as one of the generals of the Royal Army shortly after Castle Town had been rebuilt. The people knew of his heroism, so there had been little objection to his appointment. The princess entered the War Chamber and sat down at the large, round table in the center of the room. The table was actually a map that displayed the entire world, and at a command, an area could be enlarged for more detail. The table was an improvement of the War Chamber's previous one and had been designed by Link, another one of her most-trusted generals who was a tactical genius, and herself.

Zelda was so concentrated on the map that she barely saw Link enter the room. His eyes were tired, yet the concern they held was evident.

"The seal's been broken, hasn't it?" he asked in a grave tone.

Zelda answered, "I'm afraid so. We need an approximate location of his return. I doubt he will attack Hyrule immediately."

Link nodded in agreement. He furrowed his brow as he glanced at the map. After a moment, he spoke, "What about Levosa?"

She frowned as she tapped on an area of the map next to Lake Hylia. "It is certainly a possibility, but he attacked Levosa five years ago and was defeated. Since he only had the Triforce of Power, I believe his reign was limited to Hyrule. I'm not sure if he would attempt another attack."

"I'm not sure. I'll ask Alera in the morning for her opinion. For now, we need to make sure we're ready for an attack. Have you contacted the others yet?"

Zelda closed her eyes to answer him. The Sages had the ability to communicate with each other over any distance, but messages had to be kept short if they were to be sent to everyone. Through her link with her fellow Sages, Zelda said five words.

_"The Seal had been broken."_

* * *

Seraph stood beside the railing of the ship's desk, gazing out at the ocean before him. He had seen pictures of the ocean before but had never seen it from his current viewpoint. While it was only a never-ending plain of water, he had to admit that the scene before him was astounding. It was a couple of hours before noon, and Seraph had been on the deck since he had left the brig that morning. Even with all of the crew scattering around to do their jobs, he found that the ocean gave him a sense of peace.

For the most part, the crew had left him alone. Whether that was because the captain had told them to do so or because he had beaten perhaps the most intimidating one out of them, Seraph did not know; he honestly couldn't care less. It seemed the ship would arrive at Elmare in a couple of hours. Seraph was using the time he had to figure out what he was going to do. He had heard stories of Hyrule being surrounded by an unscalable range of mountains, an impenetrable forest, a never-ending lake, and a forsaken desert. He doubted any one of those would be fun to get passed. Even if he did manage to get to Hyrule, he had no idea what he would do next. All he had were two words: Time and Destiny. He assumed the two words referred to two different people, but how was he supposed to know who they were?

Seraph's thoughts were broken when he heard footsteps approaching from behind. He turned around and spotted the man known as Damien. He was wearing nearly the same attire as the day before and had a few cuts across his face. The most noticeable difference, however, was the eyepatch over his left eye.

"I suppose you're lucky you picked the right ship," the blonde said.

Seraph turned back to the ocean but kept his guard up. For all he knew, the giant man was seeking retribution. "Tell me about it."

Damien walked over to the rail and stood beside the younger man. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Seraph nodded. "I've been sailing for years, and I've never gotten tired of this sight. Shame I can only see half of it now."

The black-haired man turned to the other. "I may feel a little guilty about your situation, but I make no apologies. You were trying to kill me for Nayru's sake!"

The blonde smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I suppose I went a little far with that." Seraph snorted. Damien sighed. "I suppose it's my own damn fault."

"If it's any consolation, you probably would have had me if I didn't pull that little stunt."

Damien chuckled. He held out his hand to the younger man. "No hard feelings?"

Seraph was shocked by the man's lack of bitterness. He smiled and shook Damien's hand. He instantly regretted doing so when the bones of his hand were nearly crushed. He did his best not to wince.

"Well, I'd better get back to work. Maybe I'll see you later."

Seraph nodded. "Take care, Damien." He turned back to the ocean and continued to think. For the next hour or so, he stood there, deep in thought.

A cry of, "Land ho!" caught his attention, and he diverted his eyes in the direction the ship was sailing. Out in the distance, Elmare was in sight. It wouldn't be long until they were there. He hadn't been able to figure anything out. He decided he would just have to do what he had been doing so far: wing it.

* * *

Seraph stepped off the ship and proceeded to leave the docks when a voice called out, "Hold on, Seraph." He turned around to see the captain approaching him.

"You need something, Captain?"

The older man held up a hand. "Please, call me Darmound. I just wanted to say goodbye."

"We'll meet again Cap- err. . . Darmound," said Seraph.

The captain raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

The younger man smirked. "Intuition."

Darmound erupted into laughter for a moment before sobering. "Ah, you really are just like your father." He grinned. "Get going. You need to get to Hyrule, don't you?"

Seraph blinked. He had only told his destination to Damien, and he doubted the man had told the captain.

The captain chuckled. "It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. You aim big. The land of the Goddesses? Your father would be proud of you." He turned around. "So long, Seraph."

"Until we meet again." He watched Darmound walk away for a moment before turning around and leaving the docks.

The true test of the journey to Hyrule was about to begin.

* * *

Lightning flashed across the sky as rain poured down on what was believed to be an impenetrable fortress. Those who believed that no one could break through the massive structure's defenses were sorely mistaken.

Throughout the fortress, commands were being given to repel the enemy attack. Only those who had already seen the enemy knew what they were up against. A single man had attacked the great fortress of Crelmae, which also served as the kingdom's capital. With a hood over his head, the enemy's face could not be distinguished, and the rest of his body was obscured by his armor and cloak. One thing was for sure: he wielded a great power.

A soldier ducked behind a short wall and spoke to the warrior beside him, "What's the situation, Commander?"

"The enemy is still approaching, general," he replied in a grave tone. "All our attempts to stop him have been futile."

The general cursed. "This is the last gate; we need to stop him here. Signal the archers. I want every fire arrow we have shot at the enemy."

The commander snapped at a lower-ranking soldier, "You there! Go up top and tell Commander Rallen to release every fire arrow once the enemy is in sight!"

The soldier nodded and sprinted away. The commander turned to his superior. "How is His Majesty taking this?"

Despite the situation, the general chuckled. "Not well at all. He wants to be out here fighting, but I've persuaded him to stay back. His guard is with him. Even if the enemy gets through here, he won't stand a chance."

The commander nodded and slowly raised his head over the wall. He quickly dropped down as a ball of fire struck the wall.

"Where are the arrows?" he muttered. He was answered a moment later when a rush of heat filled the air as a multitude of arrows soared toward the enemy, leaving streaks of red light as they flew. Upon impact with the enemy, the arrows burst into flames, and a towering column of fire spiraled upwards into the air.

Cries of triumph emerged from above as the soldiers believed the enemy finished. The commander and the general knew better, however. Both could sense a large amount of energy building up within the flames. A few moments later, a massive shockwave came forth and dispelled the fire. Everyone caught by the attack, including the soldiers above, was thrown onto their backs and they immediately lost consciousness.

The lone man continued forward and walked through the gate in front of him as if it wasn't even there. He stepped into a courtyard in front of a large castle and was met by a group of seven warriors. In the center was a man, who was clearly the leader, that looked to be in his forties and had gray hair. A longsword was in his right hand, and his left hand carried a short sword. He was wearing silver armor that bore the crest of a golden eleven-pointed star: the symbol of the Crelmian Kingdom. He was the King of Crelmae. To his left were three women who were too dressed in silver armor. To the right were three men dressed in the same armor. Each of the six warriors flanking their king carried a bow in their hands, as well as a sword sheathed on their backs.

The king snapped his fingered, and the six immediately fired an arrow at their enemy. Golden streaks of light were left behind as the arrows struck the lone man with a flash of light. A slight movement caught the leader's eye, and he turned around to have his face crushed by the enemy's fist. The attack threw him several meters away from the others and onto his back. Before the six remaining warriors could react, the enemy slammed his fist into the ground. A shockwave emerged from the earth, and the six were thrown off their feet and into the air. They lost consciousness before they even hit the ground.

The king got to his feet and swung his longsword down at the ground while he raised his other sword into the air. A streak of fire emerged from the longsword and ran across the ground towards the enemy. The moment the attack touched the man, the energy within the fire released in the form of a large explosion. Not even a second later, the king swung his short sword down and a bolt of lighting shot down from the sky and struck the enemy. He sighed as he waited for the smoke to clear. There was no way the enemy had survived that.

Distracted by his thoughts of victory, the king never saw the enemy behind him and was thrown to the side into a wall. Before he could land on his feet, the gray-haired man was impaled by four swords in his shoulders and knees. He cried out in pain, and as he saw the enemy slowly approaching, he began to move but found that the swords had buried themselves into the wall. His attempts the free himself were to no avail. The enemy stopped in front of the Crelmian king, and the latter closed his eyes as the former drew his arm back.

Above the great fortress of Crelmae, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, and a dark, ominous laugh echoed through the air.

* * *

**Author's Note: ***Klenin is just a type of currency I made up that is used on the continent Seraph is from. I doubt it'll be mentioned again.**  
**

I'll try my best not to take as long next time, but I won't make any promises. After all, I did say it would take me about two and a half weeks to write a chapter. Look how that turned out.

**Thanks to my reviewers!**

LoveandZeLink**  
**


	5. Chapter 4

Gah, this chapter should have been up earlier this week, but I hit a minor setback. At least it's longer than the last chapter, and it took me less time to update too.

Remember that map I mentioned I would make? Well, that's taking me longer than I expected, I fail at all things art-related. I'm doing my best to make it acceptable, and I hope it'll be done for the next chapter, but I make no promises.

I do not own _The Legend of Zelda._

* * *

Chapter Four

"For the last time, Link, I'm sure Ganondorf is going to attack soon."

The Hero of Time raised an eyebrow. "And I am sure that he will not attack Hyrule for quite some time. I know Ganondorf far better than you do, Garren," he said to the aged general seated across from him.

After Zelda had informed the Sages that the Seal had broken, she had announced that a meeting would be held in the War Chamber at noon that day. With that being the case, Rauru and Saria were unable to attend, but Zelda needed her generals and the other Sages at Hyrule Castle to discuss the upcoming war. Seated at the round table of the War Chamber were Zelda, Link, the four other generals of the Hylian Royal Army, Darunia and his second-in-command, Ruto and her guard, and Nabooru and her most trusted general.

"Really?" the general replied. "Who has more experience fighting him?"

Link refrained from laughing. "Me."

The older man nodded. "Alright, I'll give you that, but who has more experience fighting his army?"

Thinking of the horde of monsters he had faced, the hero answered, "Me."

Garren grumbled something inaudible. "Fine. Who has more experience with using strategy to deal with his army?"

The corners of Link's mouth twitched. "Alera."

The elder general threw his hands into the air in exasperation and turned to the woman seated to his right. "What do you think, Alera?"

After the fall of Hyrule Castle, Alera and Garren had led the resistance against Ganondorf. While most of their attempts to take back control had been futile, they had served as an inconvenience for the Evil King. At the age of thirty-one, Alera was currently Hyrule's youngest general, with the exception of Link, being twenty years younger than her fellow resistance leader.

It was because of her that the Hylian Resistance lasted for so long, for her strategical brilliance had kept Ganondorf from wiping them out. As powerful as he had been, the tyrant had been restricted to Hyrule, and Alera had used that to their advantage. With the use of guerrilla warfare, the Resistance had managed to hold out for nearly seven years only to be utterly defeated during an attempt to retake Hyrule Castle. Coincidentally, it wasn't long after their defeat that Link awoke from his seven-year slumber.

Alera thought for a moment before answering, "I have to agree with Link. If I learned anything from those seven years, it's that Ganondorf loathes failure. He won't attack Hyrule until he is ready."

Nabooru spoke up, "Then he's going to try and take control somewhere else."

"Can he do that?" Darunia asked. "I thought he was stuck to Hyrule."

"I am afraid that theory only applies if he already controls Hyrule," said Zelda.

"I think it is safe to assume that he will attack from the south," Ruto said. "Hyrule is well-protected by her natural defenses, but Lake Hylia is easily our greatest opening." The others nodded in agreement.

"Not only that," Impa continued, "but the Verlan continent, with the exception of Crelmae, possesses many weak nations. It is likely he will try to slowly take control over there."

"What I'm most worried about," Link said, "is his power. As strong as he was before, he was definitely beatable. Now, I have no idea."

Nobody spoke. The Sages were still reluctant to believe the prophecy they had heard, as it was far too fragmented. Talk of preparations continued for a good hour. Alera was currently informing everyone of the status of the Royal Army and stopped when a guard stepped into the War Chamber.

"I apologize, Your Highness, but there is a man at the gates who is requesting an audience with you and General Link."

"As you can see," Zelda said, "I am currently busy. Please tell him I will meet him at my earliest convenience." She did not like dismissing her people like this, but she had to focus on the coming war.

The guard bowed his head but did not move. "Forgive me, milady, but he said it was quite urgent. He mentioned something about a prophecy."

Zelda, Link, and the Sages sharply turned their heads to the guard. "A prophecy?" the princess asked.

"Yes, milady."

She nodded. "Very well. Send him in." She turned to the generals, save Link. "Alera, Garren, Reine, Varrel, will you please excuse us? I am afraid this is a matter I cannot yet share with you."

Alera rose from her seat. "Of course, Your Highness." The others generals followed suit and left the Chamber. The Sages made the same request to those who had accompanied them, leaving only Link, Zelda, and the Sages remaining.

"This is awfully convenient," Link said skeptically. "Someone just happens to turn up with the prophecy after Ganondorf breaks the Seal? I don't buy it." The others nodded in agreement.

"Let's reserve our judgment until after we have heard what he has to say," said Zelda.

A few minutes later, the guard stepped into the War Chamber with a man following. With the princess seated at the head of the table across the room, the man was directly across from her.

She nodded to the guard. "Thank you. You are dismissed." The guard bowed and left the room.

The man knelt to the ground. "Princess Zelda, Hero of Time, it is an honor."

"Rise, stranger. You claimed to have a prophecy?"

"I did, Your Highness." He glanced at the Sages and hesitated.

Zelda noticed and spoke, "They have my full confidence. Proceed."

The man nodded. _"Evil shall return to the land of the Three, for the seal cannot hold without Time being split... When the world has cycled thrice, darkness shall cover the land once more... Time and Destiny shall falter without the light of Prophecy... To defeat the Evil once more, Time, Destiny, and Prophecy must unite... Evil shall reign ultimately should they fail..."_

Silence followed. Everyone seated at the table took a few moments to digest what they had just heard.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Is there anything else?" Zelda asked.

The man replied, "I believe I have found the one the prophecy pertains to. I have already told him what I have told you, and he has left for Hyrule. I expect him to arrive within the next few days. He has black hair and green eyes and looks to be in his early twenties. His name is Seraph Arsinev. He will have a seven-pointed star pendant for confirmation."

"Should I have the need to call on you, what is your name?"

He chuckled. "I doubt you will find me; I will probably return when I believe Seraph has arrived. If you must know, however, I go by the name of Rael." He bowed. "Now, if I may leave, Your Highness?" At Zelda's nod, he turned around and left the room.

"Well, that was interesting," Nabooru said dryly.

"Indeed," Impa agreed, "but let's not jump to conclusions yet. For all we know, this prophecy may not be real."

"I can see three possibilities," Ruto said. "One, he was actually telling the truth. Two, he knows the real prophecy and played with the wording. And three, he knew part of it and made up the rest."

For the first time since Rael's arrival, Link spoke in a quiet voice, "It's my fault."

The others, having not heard him properly, looked at him questioningly.

"If that prophecy is genuine, then it's my fault that Ganondorf is back." He turned to Zelda. "If I had let you send me back, this wouldn't have happened."

Before she could reply, Darunia's voice boomed, "Don't start feeling down, Brother! We still don't know if that prophecy is real!"

Link smiled weakly. "Thank you, Darunia. But if it's true-"

"Then it is not your fault," Zelda interrupted. She continued in a soft voice, "You couldn't have known."

"But the people who'll die-"

"Will not be because of you," she said firmly. "Ganondorf will be the only one to blame."

Link had hung his head down while taking. "Link, look at me," Zelda said gently. He did so reluctantly. "Do you have any regrets?"

He took no time to respond, "Of course not." While he had lost seven years of his life, the past three had been pure bliss because he had spent them with Zelda, the woman he loved.

The princess smiled. "Then don't feel guilty."

Link returned her smile. "Thank you, Zelda."

"So . . . " Darunia began, ending their personal moment, "what's next on the agenda?"

Impa, Nabooru, and Ruto all snapped at him for his tactlessness while Link and Zelda simply laughed.

* * *

Seraph groaned as he took another step up the mountain. Not for the first time, he cursed himself for not taking the other path. It was clear that the path he was currently on had been neglected after ages of no one using it, leaving it in a terrible condition. Large rocks, branches, and fallen trees were strewn across the path, which was barely visible. As he slipped on a rock, Seraph cursed again.

After he left the docks back in Elmare, he went to the markets and purchased a map, a canteen, and some provisions, which were currently in the bag slung over his shoulder. Afterwards, he went to the city's stables and rented a horse. The map he bought showed him that there was a town at the base of Death Mountain. He didn't get to town until after nightfall, and he immediately left his horse at the stables and found an inn to spend the night in.

When he woke up at dawn, he decided to gather some information before beginning his journey over the mountains. A man had told him of a second path to Hyrule that cut through the mountains to the south, and nearly everyone used it to travel between Elmare and Hyrule. The only problem was that the area was infested by bandits, so anyone who used the path usually hired mercenaries to protect them. After spending his money on supplies, transportation, and a night at the inn, Seraph didn't have enough to hire mercenaries. He figured his only option was to take the mountain path, or rather, what was left of it.

He noticed that the sun was beginning to set and realized he needed to find somewhere to sleep. He had bought some flint and supposed he could build some fires around him using the scattered branches for firewood. He figured he could keep going for a bit longer when he spotted something out of the corner of his right eye. He turned and saw what looked to be a cabin out in the distance. Quickly but carefully, he left the trail and hurried over.

When he reached the cabin, he thanked the Goddesses. The building seemed to be in a surprisingly-well condition. He knocked on the door, and when no one answered, he went to turn the doorknob and found that it was unlocked. He stepped inside and looked around. It was quite cozy. At the far wall, there was a fireplace and chimney. Next to the left wall was a fairly-sized bed, and at the right wall was a small desk. He figured it'd be comfortable.

Several minutes later, Seraph was lying on the bed next to the roaring fire he had made after gathering some firewood. He rested the back of his head on his hands and sighed. Maybe taking this path hadn't been so bad after all.

* * *

In the highest room of the tallest tower over a giant fortress, three men stood before a shroud of black energy. They wondered why they had been summoned. As far as they knew, their new lord had yet to call on anyone else. They walked up to the darkness and knelt in a row.

A deep voiced emerged. "I have the need for the disposal of a man," it said.

The man in the center replied, "Merely state his name and he shall die, milord."

"The one whose death I seek is not to be underestimated. Step into the darkness and you will be granted a mere fraction of my power."

The three men glanced at each other for a moment. The man on the right spoke, "With all due respect, milord, we don't need that power."

"Speak for yourself," the man to the left muttered.

The temperature of the room dropped drastically. "It was not a request," the voice said frostily. "You will embrace this power or die."

The three men gulped and did as they were told. A moment later, cries of panic emerged from the darkness, and a sinister laughed echoed though the room.

* * *

Exhausted from the day before, Seraph didn't wake up until later than usual. Judging by the light shining through the windows, it wasn't very early but it wasn't quite noon yet either. The fire was still burning from last night, although it was much smaller, so he doused the flames and grabbed his things. He exited the building and headed back to the path he had been taking yesterday, not noticing that the cabin had shimmered before fading away.

For the next couple of hours, he continued to scale the mountain, but as he got higher, the path became steeper, and by noon, he had to stop for a break. He sat down and pulled out some food from his bag. It was quite chilly, but Seraph was grateful that it was late-spring or he'd be freezing. The sun was also beating down on him, which added some warmth. He hadn't expected this trip to be this tiring, but he supposed the Death Mountain Range was the largest mountain range in the world by height and length for a good reason.

After he finished eating, he got up and continued onward. As he was walking, he began thinking about the prophecy Rael told him about. He had focused so much on the part about Time, Destiny, and Prophecy uniting that he had failed to analyze the first part. _When the world has cycled thrice._ That could mean a number of things. Seraph figured it just meant after three years had passed. _The seal cannot hold without Time being split. _He assumed the Evil sealed away was the same one Time and Destiny had defeated, rather than some ancient force.

Something clicked in Seraph's mind. Three years ago, the tyrant who had usurped the Hyrulean throne had been vanquished. While Illum was indeed isolated, news of the outside world often reached the village. The fall of Hyrule was definitely big enough news to travel across the world. He had already decided that the land of the Three was Hyrule. Seraph put everything together and formed the conclusion that the Evil in the prophecy was the defeated tyrant. He shook his head. What was he getting himself into? He did not stop though. He had made his choice, and he intended to see this through.

A few hours later, he reached what looked to be like a cave. He glanced up at the sky, and judging by the sun's position, he assumed it was a little before five. He tried remembering if he had passed another path. He shrugged and decided to step into the tunnel. What he found was astonishing.

Here before him was a massive city built inside the mountain. He doubted it was all natural and admired the architecture of the place. At first glance, it may have seemed like someone had just built a city inside the mountain. Even if that was the case, it was still an impressive feat. But Seraph knew better. He knew that for a place like this to exist, the architect had to have an amazing understanding of nature's law. That and some serious magical abilities. Whoever designed this city was a genius.

Something caught his eye below. He couldn't quite make it out, but he could see something rolling around. A few levels down, he spotted a rock-like being walking about.

_Gorons,_ he thought. He knew their race was indigenous to the Hyrulean continent and that few ever left. That was understandable given their weight and fatal weakness to water. Nevertheless, he had seen a Goron back in Illum a few years ago.

Seraph started walking towards what looked like a ramp down a level when he felt like something was tugging at his mind. He concentrated on whatever what doing that and found himself staring at the bottom floor several levels down. Something was there. He knew it; he just didn't know how or what that something was. He continued to the ramp and followed a path that he didn't understand how he knew. Within several minutes, he found himself on the bottom floor, staring down a dark hallway.

The Goron standing guard noticed him lingering and asked, "You need something?"

Seraph snapped back to reality. "Yes, I was wondering what's down there."

The guard looked surprised but answered, "Those are the quarters of our leader, the great Darunia. I'm afraid you can't go in."

The black-haired man sighed. He needed to find out what was causing this feeling, but he couldn't just force his way in. He turned around. "Thank you."

He made it a few steps when he heard the guard cry, "Wait!"

Seraph turned around. "Yes?"

The Goron was mumbling to himself. "Black hair, green eyes, looks to be in his twenties. Do you have a seven-pointed star?" he asked.

Frowning, the young man pulled out the heirloom from under his cloak.

"You are Seraph Arsinev?" He nodded, and the guard gestured for him to follow. The two of them walked into the dark hallway and found themselves in Darunia's chambers moments later.

The guard pointed to a sheathed sword on a table. "A man left that for you. He said you should be able to draw it from its sheathe."

Seraph frowned and stepped up to the table. "Did he tell you his name?"

"Rael."

For what seemed like the hundredth time in the past couple of days, he cursed the man for making him take this unnecessary trip. If Rael was already here in Hyrule, why didn't he just take Seraph with him? If the older man wanted him to have this sword, why hadn't he just given it to him earlier? He didn't like the games Rael was playing with him but reluctantly decided to go with the flow. The sword still calling him after all.

Seraph placed his hand on the hilt of the sword and immediately felt a jolt of energy run down his arm. A rush of power soon filled his body, and he closed his eyes to embrace it. His hand wrapped around the hilt, and before he knew what he was doing, he unsheathed the blade in one fluid motion. Upon, the blade's removal, a flash of blinding light emerged from the sword. Seraph collapsed to the floor and felt his mind leave his body.

He opened his eyes to find himself standing in the middle of literally nowhere. There was nothing around; as far as the eye could see, there was only pure white. The plain of nothingness seemed to stretch on without end. It was quite disconcerting.

He found he could not move his body and began to panic when a woman voiced echoed, "You have shown much Courage to venture this far, but your journey has only just begun. Find the Power of the nine holders. Only with their restoration will the tenth be revived. The light of Prophecy will guide you."

Before he could reply, the young man dropped to the ground and felt himself leave that place. When he regained consciousness, he slowly rose from the ground and groaned. He shook his head to focus himself and noticed there were a few Gorons standing around him.

Stating the painfully obvious, the guard from before spoke, "Oh good. You're awake."

Seraph rubbed his neck, which was slightly sore from lying down on the hard floor. "How long was I out?"

One of the Gorons nodded to a cloak in a large stone. Seraph looked at it, and his eyes widened by what he saw.

_What? Over two hours?_! he exclaimed in his head. _But it only felt like a couple of minutes!_

He sighed. "I'd best get going. Thank you for this." He held up the sword.

"Are you sure you're alright?" the guard asked.

Seraph nodded. "I'm fine. Besides, I really need to get moving."

He looked at the sword for a moment. It didn't seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary. It seemed like a normal sword, albeit a beautifully-crafted one. It had a silver hilt, and a diamond was embedded in it. Where it connected with the blade, it extended to the sides slightly and curved towards the end of the hilt. The blade itself had ten archaic symbols engraved into it on both sides. As he held the sword in his hand, he could feel the balance it possessed. It was a masterpiece.

He slung the sheath's strap over his shoulder so that the sword ran diagonally from his right shoulder to his left side. He nodded his thanks to the guard who stepped aside and left the room. Somehow, he knew exactly where to go. It wasn't like with the sword where he had been drawn by it. He just knew where he was going. Taking the same path as before but stopping a couple levels short, he soon found himself walking through the tunnel that led outside.

The mountain provided cover from above, so when he stepped outside, it was quite dark. However, he could see the sun setting in the distance and hurried over. It was truly a beautiful sight. The way the orange glow covered the town below and the field in the distance made the scene breathtaking. Seraph admired the view for a few moments before he decided to get moving. He knew where he had to go, and he knew the place wasn't exactly close. He followed the path down the mountain, and a few minutes later, he was at the gate that led to the town he had seen earlier.

"You're just in time. I was just about to close the gate," the guard there said. He waved Seraph in. "Well, hurry up now." The young man did as he was told and hurried through the gate.

The guard looked at him. "So, what's your reason for coming to Hyrule?"

"I'm just traveling around," Seraph answered.

"Really? Why didn't you take the other route?"

Seraph rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. "I'm running out of money."

"Ah," the guard said in understanding. "Well, there's a cheap inn on the other side of town."

The raven-haired man shook his head. "Where are the town's stables? I was hoping to see Hyrule Castle." He had invented that last part out nowhere. He had no idea exactly what the place he was heading to was, but he figured the castle was a good place a traveler might visit. He just hoped renting a horse in Hyrule was cheaper than in Elmare. If it was, then he should have a few rupees left afterward.

The guard eyed him suspiciously. "We don't have one, I'm afraid. With the way the town's built, horses can't get up here." He glanced at the sky. "If you want to go to Hyrule Castle Town, you'd better get going. I think the bridge raises in about half an hour."

Seraph nodded his thanks. He turned around and hurried toward the village's entrance.

The guard shook his head. "Odd one, that. He'd better not cause any trouble."

The rational part of Seraph told him to stop and stay at an inn for the night. However, that part of him lost to the feeling that he was close to his destination. He quickly found the town's entrance and hurried down the steps. He noticed a sign with an arrow pointing in the direction he came from. _Kakariko Village_, it said. He filed away that information for later reference.

Seraph spotted a bridge over the small river in front of him and ran over there. He could see what he assumed was Hyrule Castle Town and realized that was indeed the place he needed to go to. It was getting dark, and he knew he didn't have much time left. He hurried across the bridge with his eyes on the walls surrounding the town.

A sound from behind caught his attention, and he stopped and spun around. The bridge he had just crossed was breaking apart and falling into the river below. On a random instinct, Seraph dove forward and felt the wind rush behind him as something passed through the air where he was just standing. He got to his feet and turned around. He was quite shocked by what he saw.

Three men garbed in black cloaks stood in front of him. Their hoods were pulled over their heads, so Seraph could not spot any distinguishable features other than the fact that they were each armed with a sword. They didn't seem to be bandits or petty criminals. That gave him the assumption that they were trained killers. He knew he couldn't take the three of them head on at the same time, and he also knew there was no way he would survive if he fought recklessly. As such, he unsheathed his father's sword and stood with his guard up.

Much to Seraph's surprise, the three men disappeared, but the young man knew better. The tense feeling in the air remained; they were still around. Out of that same instinct from before, he dove to the left and watched as the ground where he had been standing broke apart, presumably from the strike of a sword. He got to his feet and waited for a moment before blindly swinging his sword in front of him. He assumed at least one of them would attack him head on and was pleased when he locked blades with one of his enemies. Knowing he only had a couple seconds at most before the others attacked, he quickly kneed the man in the gut. He rolled forward to his enemy's side and heard the ground be struck by an invisible sword.

Seraph got to his feet and let out a deep breath. He was only alive because of those random senses of instinct, the source of which he did not know. Was it the sword Rael had left him? He took a step back with his right leg and crouched slightly. He brought his sword back and waited. He had yet to master this technique, but desperate times called for desperate measures. A moment later, he took a step forward and swung his sword. As his sword came out in front of him, he rotated his body, and his sword swung in a circular pattern.

Triumph filled him when he heard a pair of painful cries as his attack struck true. Two men of his enemies appeared in front of him, one to the left and the other to the right. Rather than acting on instinct, Seraph quickly analyzed the situation. It was unlikely they would attack in a linear formation; the third one must behind him! He dove forward and felt the wind rush behind him. He quickly recovered and turned to the man on the right. He swiftly executed a barrage of slashes and thrusts before his enemy could disappear or before the others could help. Several seconds later, he managed to land a slash on his enemy's shoulder.

The man yelped in pain and promptly disappeared. Seraph could hear a series of hisses and snarls, which he assumed was their form of communication. The other two had disappeared, and he stood ready. Before he could react, he felt pain shoot through his body as blades pierced his chest and each of his legs. He cried out and dropped to his knees from the sudden pain. A moment later, his sword was knocked out of his hand.

Seraph gritted his teeth. He wasn't done yet! His hand immediately shot to the sword sheathed on his back. Lightning sparked from the hilt as his hand gripped it, but there was no pain. In fact, it felt invigorating. He quickly drew the blade from its sheathe, and a burst of light emerged. A warm feeling spread throughout his body as he felt some sort of power heal his wounds. He got to his feet, and the light dimmed. It seemed that the power the sword possessed had rendered his enemy's invisibility useless. While he couldn't see the expressions on their faces, he was sure it was priceless. They clearly did not expect this turn of events. Apart from the fact that they still out numbered him, it was a fair fight now.

* * *

"Have a good night, Miss Malon."

The redheaded woman smiled at the guard. "Thank you, and you as well." She snapped the reins of the horses pulling the wagon and rode across the bridge. Moments later, she heard the bridge begin to raise. It had been a long day. She had come to Castle Town before noon and had hoped to see Zelda while delivering the castle's order of milk. Unfortunately, the princess had been in a meeting, so Malon had been unable to see her. She spent the rest of the day buying groceries, selling milk, and in general, lounging around town. Her father usually handled all this while she worked at the ranch, but he had not been feeling well lately, so she had volunteered to go to town.

She was heading back home when something caught her attention. Out in the distance, a burst of light flashed, and once it dimmed, she spotted four men engaged in combat. It seemed like it was three against one. She slowly guided the horses over to the battle, keeping her distance and watching the combatants.

* * *

Seraph lunged at the nearest enemy and thrust his sword at him. The man twisted his body out of the man and moved to counterattack. With all the energy rushing through his body, Seraph moved faster than he would have normally and effortlessly parried the incoming slash. The man stumbled back a few steps and moved back a bit. The raven-haired man turned his body to face his other attackers. They both charged forward, thinking he wouldn't be able to handle two attacks at once. He proved them wrong by moving out of one enemy's reach and parrying a slash from the other. As the latter stumbled back, Seraph rushed toward the other man. With a power, precision, and speed he never had before, he sent a flurry of slashes at his enemy. The man was only able to block the first few attacks before his sword was knocked out of his hand. Seraph continued his assault and landed a slash across the man's chest.

Before he could finish the man off, Seraph twisted his body as his first attacker lunged at him from behind. He quickly retaliated and drove his elbow into his enemy's face. The man stumbled back, stunned, and Seraph moved forward and thrust his sword into the man's chest. He quickly pulled the blade out and spun away from his enemies as the defeated man dropped to the ground.

By now, the disarmed attacker had retrieved his sword and the other man was at his side. Seraph stood his ground as he waited for them to make the first move. For quite some time, they each stood still. Suddenly, both men charged forward and swung their swords down at Seraph. He raised his sword to block the attack and was almost amused by their lack of cooperation. It was obvious they didn't expect one of them to die.

With a strength that wasn't his, Seraph pushed his enemies back. This sword was truly something else. He didn't know what this power was or how it worked, but he welcomed it. He closed the gap with his enemy on the right and quickly disarmed the man with a series of quick slashes. He followed this with a sharp knee to the gut, and while the man was stunned, Seraph twirled around him and thrust his sword into his enemy's back. He kicked the man off the blade and watched as he dropped to the ground.

The remaining man watched as his second comrade fell to Seraph's sword and let out an inhuman snarl. He reached into his cloak and yanked something out. Seraph could hear the sound of a chain breaking, but couldn't make out what was in his enemy's hand. The man charged forward and swung his sword madly at his enemy. Seraph blocked the attack and tried to push the man back but found that he couldn't, no matter how much strength he exerted. He sensed a sudden buildup of energy in his enemy's hand that was holding the unknown object. It was a dark, sickening energy.

Somehow, Seraph knew what was going to happen next. He abandoned his efforts to overpower his enemy and threw his body to the left. He was too late though. An explosion from whatever the man had been holding flung the black-haired man into the air. The dark energy he felt earlier washed over his body, and he screamed in pain. His cries were cut short when he landed on his back and had the wind knocked out of him.

The invigoration he had felt from fighting disappeared. As his eyes rolled back, everything faded into darkness.

* * *

**Note: **So, I'm not sure when I'll update next. The next couple of weeks are going to be really hectic, but after that, I should have more time on my hands. I'll try to keep the chapters coming at the same rate.

**Thanks to my reviewers!**

AbyssBlur

LoveandZeLink


	6. Chapter 5

I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but I did state the possibility of this. Okay, so I didn't say it outright, but I'm you could have made the assumption.

So . . . about that map. It is done, but only partially. I have it drawn out, but when I tried to add detail to it in Photoshop, well let's just say I failed miserably. As the story is beginning to reach the point where a map is necessary, I'll have it uploaded. In the meantime, I'll try to learn how to use Photoshop properly, something I should have done a long time ago.

The map, or rather maps, will be uploaded to my deviantART profile in the next day or so. The link is in my profile.

I forgot to mention something rather important last chapter. In the games, the settlements of Hyrule are awfully small. In my eyes, that is not realistic as there have got to be more people than what those places can hold. As such, everything seen in the game is only a small fraction of what it is in the story. The way I see it, there are thousands people living in Hyrule as opposed to the small numbers that you might assume in the game.

An example of this is Hyrule Castle Town. In the game, you might think there were, at most, only a few hundred living there. In this story, there's several thousand. Furthermore, there are few Gorons and Zoras shown in the game. In my eyes, there's a couple thousand of each. I know some have already made this conclusion, but I still felt the need to point it out.

I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_.

* * *

Chapter Five

Link parried an attack from his opponent and backflipped to create some distance from the man in front of him. Having defeated Ganondorf and his army single-handedly three years ago, a simple duel with one of his fellow generals was child's play. Nevertheless, it was nice to have a friendly fight every once in awhile. After all, it made sure he wouldn't get rusty.

The blonde stared at his opponent for a moment. While he was nowhere near the level of the younger general, Varrel was the second most skilled warrior in the Royal Army. Not only that but he was an exceptional leader out on the battlefield. That was something Link didn't have. While his abilities in combat were unparalleled, he was an average leader at best. He usually left the strategy and coordination to the others generals and Zelda.

Speaking of whom, the four of them were currently sitting on benches in a garden where soldiers typically sparred. While she could hold her own in a fight, Alera's strength was in strategy. For the most part, she stayed behind and coordinated the army while the others were out fighting. Garren was a more accomplished warrior than Alera but not as strategical. His old age usually slowed him down in battle, so he tended to stay back with Alera. Reine's abilities in combat were not quite at the level of Varrel's, but between the five generals, she was definitely the best leader out on the battlefield.

Zelda, like Link, was in a category of her own. Her wisdom granted her a strategical mind that was as brilliant as Alera's, but at the same time, her astounding magic made her a force to be reckoned with. She was also skilled with a sword and could defend herself fairly well. Since Hyrule had been at peace for the past three years, the princess had little experience fighting in such a situation, but she knew the best of her abilities came out when she was beside Link. Many did not like that she was, for all intents and purposes, a member of the Hylian Royal Army, but there was little anyone could do about it.

Link took a step forward and masterfully executed a series of attacks, putting Varrel on the defensive. With the shield strapped to his arm and a sword designed more for blocking than attacking, the older general was able to protect himself but was unable to take back the offensive. Link ceased his attacks for a moment so that Varrel could have a chance to fight back. The former could end the fight right now if he wanted to, but he wanted to make things a bit more interesting by allowing his opponent to attack. That and he was baiting him into a trap. The older general feinted left before swinging his sword at Link's right side. The latter expected this and jumped to the side to avoid the attack.

The younger man fell into a defensive stance as he waited for his opponent to make a move. Varrel thrust his sword at Link who twisted his body out of the way and twirled behind his opponent. Varrel managed to turn around in time to block Link's incoming attack. The hero quickly jumped back and held his shield out in front of him. He charged forward, and Varrel attempted to place an attack past his opponent's shield.

Link moved his shield and adjusted his body weight so that metal clashed with metal. The two warriors struggled to gain the upper hand and attempted to push the other back, but neither would falter. In the end, Link twisted his body to his side and watched as Varrel stumbled forward. The blonde quickly executed a spin slash and struck his opponent with the flat side of his blade. Varrel was thrown to the ground, and a moment later, Link's blade was pointed at his throat.

"You're mad," Varrel said with a grin.

Link chuckled and moved his sword. He helped his fellow general up and clapped him on the shoulder. "You almost had me sweating there."

"From the great Hero of Time, I'll take that as a compliment."

The blonde glared at the older man for the Hero of Time remark before laughing lightly. The two of them walked over to where the others were sitting, and Link kissed Zelda on the cheek.

"Now that we're done blowing off steam, we should probably talk more about preparations."

"As much as I would like to," said Alera, "you seem to have a message, Your Highness." She nodded to the approaching guard.

The guard in question bowed. "The man known as Rael is here to speak with you, Your Highness." It had been three days since Rael had told them of the prophecy. Zelda had told the guards to keep an eye out for him and the one known as Seraph.

"Thank you. Would you please escort him in?" The guard bowed again and left.

"Should we leave?" Garren asked.

Zelda shook her head. "You will need to know the full situation, so you might as well stay."

The six of them waited for a few minutes, and Rael stepped into the garden with the guard escorting him. Zelda nodded and the guard left.

Rael bowed and looked around. He furrowed his brow. "Odd. I thought he'd be here already." He glanced at the generals. "I take it you trust them, Your Highness."

Zelda nodded. "It is only a matter of time before I will have to tell them. Would you please explain why you thought he would already be here?"

He paced around. "I left something for him at Goron City, and I was told he passed through three days ago."

"Hold on a second," Garren interrupted. "Who are we talking about here?"

The princess looked at Link and silently asked him to explain the situation. He nodded and spoke, "As you all know, I was destined to defeat Ganondorf as the Hero of Time. Now, there is another who shares that fate."

"A prophecy?" Alera asked skeptically. She eyed Rael suspiciously. "Rael, is it? Would you please excuse us for a moment?" He inclined his head and walked away.

"You cannot possibly trust him, Your Highness," she said in a low voice.

Zelda nodded. "I do not, for a moment, trust him, but everything he has told us has come to pass. I am accepting his help for the time being but am remaining most cautious."

Alera nodded, satisfied. Link waved for Rael to come back.

"You said you sent him on his way, yet you are already here," said the princess. "Why did you not bring him with you?"

Link frowned. "I wondered that myself."

"Seraph grew up in an isolated village," Rael answered. "I found it necessary that he experience the outside world for awhile before he was thrust into this war."

"You said you left him something at Goron City," Link said. "May I ask what?"

"A sword." The hero raised his eyebrows and nodded for him to continue. "A sword of great power. While it lacks the Master Sword's characteristic of being evil's bane, it still possesses a great deal of magic."

Link narrowed his eyes. The legend of the Master Sword wasn't exactly well-known outside of Hyrule. Furthermore, if such a sword had been left for the one known as Seraph, then how did Rael obtain it in the first place? Just what kind of person was this man?

* * *

Seraph considered himself to be fairly able at ignoring pain, but this was a different story. Every muscle in his body ached as they cried out in agony. He tried to raise himself but gasped in pain and fell back down. How did he get here and where was here? He was lying down on a bed in a fair-sized room that did not have many furnishing. There was a desk and a dresser by one wall; the place was quite dull. He assumed he was in a guest room. He heard footsteps approaching, and a few moments later, the door opened.

A young, stunning redheaded woman stepped into the room carrying a tray that contained a couple of bottles and various objects. She noticed he was awake and placed the tray on the table. She walked over to the bed.

"How are you feeling?"

Seraph tried to answer, but his throat was too dry for him speak properly. "Water," he rasped.

The woman hurried back to the table and poured a glass of water. She returned and handed him the glass. He quickly gulped down the water and sighed.

"Thank you, Ms. . ."

"Malon."

"Ms. Malon, I cannot thank you enough for saving me."

She smiled and shook her head. "I couldn't have just left you there. And please, just call me Malon. Are you in pain?"

He tried to move his body again but quickly stopped. "You could say that."

Malon frowned. "I healed all your wounds with some potions, but it will take some time for the pain to go away. I have a pain-numbing potion if you'd like."

Seraph shook his head. "I'll be fine. Never liked those potions anyway."

She laughed softly. "May I ask what your name is and what happened?"

He paused. He had no problem with telling her who he was, but he wasn't sure about telling her why he was in Hyrule. She had saved his life, so he felt he owed that much to her, but he was hesitant to tell her about the prophecy. In the end, he decided to tell her everything. For some reason, he felt he could trust her.

Malon listened acutely, never once interrupting.

"I know it's hard to believe," said Seraph once he finished.

She shook her head. "I've seen enough in my life that even the most farfetched things sound believable. You were telling the truth. I could see it in your eyes."

Seraph stared at the ceiling. "I knew what I was walking into would be life-threatening, but I didn't expect something like this would happen so soon." He turned to Malon. "I would have died if it weren't for you."

She smiled and changed the topic slightly. "You mentioned two people as Time and Destiny. I think I know who they are." Seraph's eyes widened, and he nodded for her to continue. "I'm sure Time is referring to the Hero of Time. That's Link. As for Destiny, I can only imagine one person to fit that role – Her Highness Princess Zelda of Hyrule."

Seraph was dumbfounded. Not only had he been saved from death, but the one who had saved him knew who he was looking for. He thanked the Goddesses for sending this woman, this angel, to him.

"Do you know them personally?" he asked.

Malon nodded. "I'm friends with both of them. Next time I go to town, I can take you with me. There's been talk of war lately, so I don't know if we'll be able to see them though."

She rose from her seat. "You should get some rest. I'll bring you some food in a bit."

He nodded and closed his eyes. Before Malon left the room, he said, "Thank you, Malon, for everything."

She smiled. "You're welcome, Seraph. Sleep well." She left the room and quietly closed the door behind her.

Seraph gazed up at the ceiling and thought back to the battle. He had not talked much about it, but he knew Malon knew about what was bothering him. She had not brought it up, and he was grateful for that. He had killed those three men. Well, the third one had killed himself, but that was hardly the point. He had taken three lives that day, and he was deeply conflicted about the whole matter. Those three had tried to kill him, so it had been self-defense, but that provided him little comfort.

He thought back to what his father had told him when he began learning how to wield a sword.

"A sword is used for many different reasons, Seraph. Some use it to inflict harm unto others. Some use it to protect themselves and others. Whatever the reason one chooses to pick a sword, there is one action that is never truly right or wrong – to take a life."

He closed his eyes and tried to rest. This was something he didn't want to think about right now.

* * *

A group of four generals, two men and two women, sat around a small round table in a dark room. Their new king had summoned them here, but he had yet to arrive. The four generals were quite nervous about this meeting. After all, the last three who had been summoned by His Majesty had not been seen since.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," one of the generals muttered, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"You were guarding the castle gates when he attacked, weren't you Aethir?" a second general asked. He nodded. "Do you know what happened between him and King Seron?"

Aethir shook his head. "All of us were knocked out. I've heard he defeated King Seron and his Royal Guard with ease."

"I've heard that as well."

Another spoke up, "Have any of you heard from the six in the Royal Guard?"

The other three shook their heads.

"Given the disappearance of those three," Aethir said without giving any names. They all knew who he was talking about. "I'd be willing to wager that those six are dead."

The last general, the one who had yet to speak, slammed his hand on the table. "Don't say that!"

Aethir looked at his comrade sympathetically. "I know you're worried about Mera, but we have to face the facts."

"What facts? This is where we stand: King Seron is dead, we have a new king that none of us know anything about other than he's ridiculously powerful, and Crelmae is in ruins!"

The door in the corner of the room opened, and an armored man stepped inside. There was a sharp intake of air as the generals stared at the man before them. This was the first time he had shown his face.

His flaming red hair and matching eyes were about the only normal things about him. Even then, those eyes of his looked like they could burn a hole through one's soul. His body had more muscles than it was physically possible, and he looked like he could snap a person like a twig with his hands. A coat of black armor covered his body, and the red cape over his shoulders only gave him a more sinister appearance. It was none of these traits that terrified the generals though. It was his face, the look of pure evil, that did that job. He stood with an aura of darkness around him that made the generals shudder with fear.

He looked vaguely familiar, but none of them could put their fingers on it.

"You do not need to know anything about me," he said in a cold, deep voice, "other than I am the ruler of Crelmae now. All who oppose me shall perish." He turned around. "Gather your men, generals. We set out for Levosa at dawn." He left the room, leaving the four generals gobsmacked.

"L-Levosa?" one of them stuttered. "He wants to attack Levosa?"

"But that would mean . . ." another muttered.

"Hyrule," said Aethir. "He's going for Hyrule."

"He just took over Crelmae, and now he wants Hyrule? He's insane!" the remaining general exclaimed.

Aethir shook his head. "No. I don't think so. Well, not yet anyway. Hyrule's defenses are nigh impenetrable. It's never fallen to an outside attack; it's only been taken from the inside."

"So instead, he's going to take over the lands around Hyrule and attack from every front."

"Which means Ritosk is probably next."

"Wait a minute," said Aethir. "He said 'we.' Does that mean he's coming with us?"

The silence was only broken by a muttered, "Damn."

* * *

"We haven't had much time to talk, so tell me about yourself, Seraph."

Two days had passed since Seraph had awaken. He had chosen against Malon's insistence that he should rest. While the pain was still there, it wasn't anything that would slow him down too much. Besides, he had the feeling that he was running out of time. He was currently sitting beside Malon as she drove the wagon to Castle Town.

"I'm just a simple guy who lived a privileged life in an isolated town and left to escape the monotonous life."

"Really?" Malon drawled. "Those swords of yours say you aren't as simple as that, especially that silver one. I couldn't pick it up without a piece of cloth around my hand."

Seraph shrugged. "Alright, so I'm a fair swordsman. As for that sword, I have no idea what it is. How about you?"

"Oh you know, just a simple ranch girl."

"Really?" he mimicked her. "Your 'I've seen enough in my life' says otherwise."

She laughed for a moment before becoming serious. "Living under a tyrant for seven years will do that to you."

He winced. "I'm sorry. I forgot all about that." It was true. Talking with her made his worries melt away. He really didn't know why, but he felt he could trust her and open himself up to her.

Malon smiled. "It's quite alright. Ah, here we are!"

The wagon crossed over the bridge, and Seraph couldn't help but look around in awe. Hyrule Castle _Town_? The place was the size of a small city! Malon chuckled and guided the wagon through the streets. She had only brought the castle's order with her, as she had hoped to spend the day with Link and Zelda. Apparently, something went wrong with the last order, so another one was requested.

After going through town, the wagon pulled up next to the castle gates. Malon and Seraph stepped out and approached one of the guards. The security had increased in the past years. Instead of a lone guard at the gates, there were now four.

"Ah, Miss Malon! Here with another order?" the guard asked.

She nodded. "Something was wrong with the last one, it seems."

"Yes, I heard about that. I'll bring that up to the castle for you."

"Actually, I was wondering if Princess Zelda was available." It was common knowledge that she and Zelda were close friends.

The guard shook his head. "I'm afraid not." He glanced at Seraph. "Who's your friend?"

Before Seraph could answer, the guard began muttering, "Black hair, green eyes, looks to be in his early twenties. Do you happen to have a seven-pointed star, sir?"

He frowned. He had been asked that at Goron City too. He pulled out the heirloom in question.

The guard was shocked for a moment. "You are Seraph Arsinev, I take it?" He nodded. "Very well. Please come with me, sir." He turned around and began walking toward the castle. Seraph and Malon followed.

"I'm not sure if you should come, ma'am," the guard said.

"This concerns me as well," she responded firmly.

"Very well."

The three continued to the castle, and several minutes later, they found themselves standing before a pair of doors.

"One moment." The guard opened a door and stepped inside.

Seraph turned to Malon. "You sure you know what you're getting yourself into?"

She nodded. "I was the one who saved you."

He chuckled. "Point."

The guard emerged from the room. "Go on inside. The princess is waiting for you."

Seraph and Malon stepped inside, and the door was closed behind them. When they entered the room, the latter bowed in respect, while the former took a few steps and knelt to the floor. "Your Highness, it is an honor."

Zelda stared at the man in front of her. "Rise, Mr. Arsinev. We have heard much about you from Rael here."

Seraph raised his head a little faster than he should have and spotted the man in question leaning against the left wall.

"Your Highness," he said, "may I let out my anger toward this man before you ask me anything?"

She smiled. "Of course."

Seraph stood up and approached Rael so that he wouldn't have to shout. When he was fairly close to him, he growled, "What in Din's name were you thinking, Rael? What kind of game are you playing? Oh, let's just send Seraph on his way to Hyrule! He'll be fine!"

Rael replied calmly, "It was a chance for you to experience the outside world before you entered this war."

"Well, I think I've experience a little of what this situation has to offer. I was nearly killed on the way here!"

This caught Rael's full attention. "What? What are you talking about?"

"I was attacked when I got to Hyrule Field. Malon," he nodded to her, "saved me. I would be dead right now if it weren't for her."

Seraph let out a deep breath and calmed himself. He took a look around the room. He had been so focused on showing his respects to the princess and yelling at Rael that he had not observed his surroundings. In the center of the room was a large round table, which from the looks of it, had a map of the world etched into it. Seated at the table were Princess Zelda, and five others, three men and two women.

Link, Zelda, and the generals remained silent as they watched the two men before them. If those two were going to aid Hyrule against Ganondorf, then they had to be trusted.

"What happened?" Rael asked.

"I was ambushed by three men after I left Kakariko Village. They had the ability to turn invisible; I had no chance against them. That sword you left me saved my life. When I drew it from its sheathe, their invisibility vanished and an incredible power filled me. After that, I was able to defeat them easily. In the end, one of them was a martyr, and he nearly killed me with himself. I'm not sure what happened next. I just woke up later in a room with Malon there."

The redhead explained, "I was at the right place at the right time. I was on my way back home when I saw Seraph fighting. When it was over, I took him back to the ranch and nursed him back to health."

Rael sighed in relief. He bowed his head and said to Malon, "You have my thanks, ma'am."

"Mr. Arsinev," said Zelda. "Rael told us of the sword you spoke of. May we see it?"

"Please Your Highness, Mr. Arsinev is my father. I ask that you call me Seraph." He unsheathed the sword and held it in front of him with two hands.

There were two gasps at the sight of the sword, one from the princess and the other from one of the men seated at the table. Link stood up and approached Seraph. As he did so, he unsheathed the sword from his back. He could almost hear everyone's eyes widen in shock. He had tried to return the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time after Ganondorf had been sealed away but had been unable to. It was as if the sword knew it would be needed again soon. He stopped in front of Seraph and raised the Master Sword next to the other man's sword. The two were nearly identical. Apart from their hilts' colors and shapes, they were the same to every last detail.

"You said this sword contains an incredible power?" Link asked. Seraph nodded. "Then let's see if you can use it!" Link quickly fell into form and swung his sword. Seraph yelped and jumped back. Cries of outrage filled the room. Link's eyes met Zelda's, and after a few moments of unspoken words, the princess nodded. She knew why he was doing this.

"At least do this where there is more room," she said wearily.

Link nodded and turned to face a door behind Rael. He walked a few steps and turned around. He looked at Seraph and raised an eyebrow. The latter nodded and followed. He knew a challenge when he saw one. Everyone followed silently. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Link was doing. They were just surprised that he was doing something like this. He usually didn't act this way. The group stopped when they reached a small courtyard. A few benches were placed near the walls, and there was a large clearing in the center. It was clearly a sparing ground.

Link walked a bit farther and turned around to face Seraph. With the Master Sword in his left hand and his shield in his right, he waited for his opponent. The others moved off to the side and sat down on the benches; they were all anticipating this fight. Link was unparalleled in combat, but if the prophecy was to be believed, then Seraph was destined to play a part in defeating Ganondorf.

Malon sat down next to Zelda. "Link's acting awfully cold," the former said.

The princess sighed. "He blames himself for Ganondorf's return. He's trying to make up for it."

Malon frowned. It had become common knowledge that the Evil King was back. "What do you mean?"

Zelda leaned close to Malon. The redhead was one of the few people she trusted with this information. It had yet to come up, so she had never told her friend.

"After Ganondorf was defeated, I was going to send Link back to his original time, but he convinced me not to. We recently heard a prophecy that states that for the seal on Ganondorf to hold, Time must be split into two. Since Link was never sent back, Time was never split."

Malon shook her head. "And he blames himself why?"

"I've told him that he is not to blame, but there is still some guilt. You know how he is, hero and all."

Seraph drew the mysterious sword from its sheathe and kept it hanging down by his leg. He did not know who this man, but there was an air of confidence surrounding him. Whoever he was, he was definitively a skilled fighter. Seraph's eyes fell on the sword in his opponent's hand. Even he had been surprised when he saw it. It was nearly identical to the sword in his hand, and at the same time, it seemed like it was no ordinary sword either. At the moment, it didn't matter. If this man wanted to test the unknown sword's power, then he was happy to comply.

The odd thing was that the sword didn't feel like anything special. There was no sense of invigoration and power. It just felt like a normal sword.

Link and Seraph bowed to each other without breaking eye contact. The former immediately fell into a defensive stance while the latter closed the gap between them and began a series of slashes. Link read this move and parried the first blow, ending Seraph's attempted chain of attacks. He fell back with his guard up and waited.

Seraph began to circle his opponent as he thought about his next move. The blonde had read him with ease. That defense of his was not going to be easy to get past. Seraph lunged forward and feinted left before swinging his sword from the right. Again, Link blocked the attack without any effort; he hadn't even fallen for the feint. Deciding to take the offensive, he stepped forward and executed a string of slashes and thrusts, not giving Seraph any chance to fight back.

Varrel watched the fight closely. Link was using the same strategy he had used on him earlier. The idea was simple: put up a solid defense, switch to an all-out offensive, relent the attacks to bait the opponent, and finish him off. The general wondered if Seraph could pull himself out of this trap.

Link slowed down his attacks and an immediate counterattack followed. He allowed Seraph to take the offensive. However, after being pressed into defending a seemingly endless chain of attacks, Seraph was not able to focus as much as before. Those attacks had taken a toll on him. He swung his sword vertically at Link, but the latter twisted his body out of the way. As his body rotated, he arched his sword and brought it to Seraph's neck.

"I'm disappointed."

Seraph gritted his teeth. He wouldn't be defeated so easily by this man! He dove away from his opponent and winced as his collarbone was cut. He rolled to his feet and touched the wound. It was very shallow as it had clearly been a warning. He doubted he'd be as lucky the next time.

He tightened his grip on his sword, and to his surprise, that same invigoration from his fight three days ago filled his body. As a stroke of genius or madness, he unsheathed his father's sword. He had never properly wielded two swords at once, but the feeling of two weapons in his hands felt normal. He charged forward and sent a flurry of attacks at his opponent.

Link was shocked by the sudden difference in Seraph's fighting ability. Was this the power he had spoken of? If so, then he was disappointed. He had expected it to be a bit more impressive. Still, it was an improvement, and he actually had to put some effort into fighting. He was easily managing a defense against Seraph's attacks, but he was unable to find an opening to counterattack. Each strike had a great deal of power behind it, and at the same time, there was little time between each attack, preventing a major opening.

Link continued to block Seraph's chain of attacks when he noticed something. His opponent's moves were getting sloppier over time; the openings between each attack were gradually becoming larger. He just had to hold out until there was a large enough opening.

Beads of sweat covered Seraph's face as he swung his swords again and again. He could feel his energy draining, and his movements were becoming sluggish. He just couldn't get anything past his guy's defense.

Link had been right. With an opening presented, he thrust his sword at Seraph. He wasn't expecting the attack to land, but it interrupted his opponent from making any more moves. Seraph twisted out of the way and proceeded to continue attacking but was too late. Link stopped his attack and swung his sword at Seraph. The latter raised his father's sword to block the attack, but his grip was too weak and the sword was knocked out of his hand.

Seraph jumped back to get away from his opponent. He couldn't keep this up for much longer, for he could feel his energy draining rapidly. He backed up some more to increase the distance from the blonde. He was putting everything into this last attack. With a speed that amazed even him, he dashed forward and leapt off the ground. He drew his sword back and thrust it at his opponent.

Link was mildly impressed by Seraph's speed. However, the attack was easy enough to dodge and just as easy to counter. As his opponent approached, Link stood ready, and when the blade was thrust at him, he sprang into action. He raised his shield, which blocked the blade. He was knocked back from the sheer force of the attack but held his ground. He pushed Seraph back, and as the latter stumbled, Link stepped forward and quickly executed a spin slash. The attack was blocked, but Seraph's sword was knocked out of his hand. Link quickly kicked his opponent to the ground and pointed his sword at him.

"Not bad." He removed his sword and offered a hand to Seraph. He accepted it and got to his feet.

"So did I pass your test?" asked Seraph. He walked over to where his swords were and retrieved them. He sheathed his father's sword at his side and the other one over his shoulder.

Link nodded. "I apologize for how I acted earlier, but I had to be sure you were up for fighting Ganondorf."

"I understand."

"I daresay that with enough training with that sword, you'll be able to fight alongside the princess and myself."

Seraph stared. "You're – "

"The Hero of Time."

Seraph closed his eyes. "Do you mind if we sit down? I'm feeling a little light-headed."

Link nodded. "Of course." He guided him over to the benches where the others were sitting. Malon rose from her seat to make room for Seraph who nearly collapsed on the bench. He thanked her and threw his head back. He rubbed his eyes and closed them.

"Are you okay?" Malon asked.

"I'm just exhausted."

Varrel frowned. "I can understand you being a bit tired after that fight, but you look dead on your feet."

"It's the sword," Rael said. "Its powers are dormant, so it's leeching off of Seraph in order for him use its power."

"You seem to know an awful lot about it," Alera said cynically.

"If you know this much," said Reine, "surely you know what it is."

"The Sword of Prophecy." It had been Zelda who had spoken, not Rael. Everyone stared at her. "Legends state that the sword has no definite form and changes according to the wielder."

"If that's the case, how do you it's that particular sword?" Link asked.

"Seraph, will you hand me the sword?" Zelda asked. He nodded, unsheathed the sword, and held out the hilt for her to take. A spark emerged from the hilt as she went to take it.

"I'm sorry! I forgot!" Malon cried. "When I went to pick it up as I took Seraph to the ranch, it did the same thing. I had to pick it up with a piece of cloth."

"It's quite alright, Malon." The princess's hand glowed white as she went to take the sword again. While the hilt sparked a second time, it caused no harm.

Zelda held the sword up for everyone to see. "Do you recognize the first six symbols on the blade, Link?"

He scrunched his forehead as he tried to remember where he had seen those symbols. His eyes widened. "The medallions!"

"Yes. The symbols of Light, Forest, Fire, Water, Shadow, and Spirit in Ancient Hylian. Do you recognize the next three?" Link shook his head.

Alera spoke up, "Judging by the fact that there's three of and they share a similar design, I'm guessing Power, Wisdom, and Courage."

Zelda nodded. "As for the last one, I have only seen it a few times in some ancient tombs years ago. While Ancient Hylian is the oldest dialect that is still used today, there is a language that is even older."

"The Divine Language?" Garren asked. "Preposterous. It's only a myth. There's no proof of its existence."

"On the contrary, there have been numerous excavations of structures with unknown symbols across the world. While there is not enough information to compile the entire language, there is a multitude of proof that is does exist."

"Will someone care to explain what this Divine Language is?" Seraph asked.

"It's supposedly the first language even spoken," Garren answered. "It is said that the Goddess Nayru left it for the first people created by the Goddesses."

"While little is known of the language, some translations have been made," said Zelda. Garren scoffed in disbelief. "If I remember correctly, that symbol stands for the 'the future.'"

"The future . . . prophecy!" Seraph exclaimed. Despite being drained, he suddenly felt excited. He was just as interested in finding out what this sword was as everyone else."

While the others conserved, Rael watched the scene silently. They hadn't spoken of anything new to him. He could have told them that in less time, but he felt no inclination to do so. He was perfectly content with letting them put the pieces together.

While Rael observed the others, Link was carefully staring at him. He didn't trust him; he didn't think anyone did, not even Seraph. The small glowing ball of light that was Navi silently floated over his shoulder. Link had to admit he was surprised at how inconspicuous the fairy could be. She had not revealed herself in quite some time. He could tell she didn't trust Rael either and smiled slightly. There was something off about him, and Link had every intention of finding out what that was.

* * *

**Note: **The next chapter will take nowhere near as long as it did for this one. That much I can guarantee.

**Thanks to my reviewers!**

AbyssBlur

LoveandZeLink


	7. Chapter 6

This was supposed to be up last week, but I ran into some complications that pushed it back to this week. You know what? I'm just going to stop giving assumptions as to when I will update next. After all, I never seem to be close.

I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_.

* * *

Chapter Six

Seraph dropped the last bale of hay in the stables and brushed the dust off his hands. Ever since he had been brought to the ranch to recover, he had been staying here. Malon had insisted that he stay at the ranch as he had nowhere else to go. Malon's father, Talon, had welcomed him despite not knowing much about the situation. Ingo, the only ranch hand who worked there, seemed to be indifferent to the whole matter, but Seraph could tell he was glad there was less work to do.

Despite Malon's protests, he began helping out around the ranch. They were boarding him free of charge, so it was the least he could do. For the past five days, work around the ranch had moved swiftly as there were now four of them working. They tended to finish mid-afternoon, so Seraph spent most of his free time divided between training and getting to know Malon.

That was how he found himself out in the fields with the young woman in question. He lied down and placed his hands behind his head as he stared at the sky. Malon was beside him doing the same. Seraph sighed. He enjoyed these carefree moments. He didn't have to worry about the war. He didn't have to think about the power that the sword contained. All he had to do was focus on relaxing.

Mind, he was still serious about the whole situation, but it was just that he didn't have to worry about it. He knew Zelda was researching the sword, and he would help if he had any idea what to look for. The legend of the Sword of Prophecy was almost unheard, and Seraph assumed most the texts that referenced it were in the Royal Library, which he obviously didn't have access to.

In the past few days, he had gone to the castle twice with Malon, and each time, he sparred with Link. Their battles didn't seem to change much, but Seraph knew he was improving. The main difference was that he could last longer in a fight. Using the sword wasn't as draining as it had been before. If what Rael said was to be believed, then he figured his body was becoming used to the sword draining his energy.

Now that was a subject he _was_ worried about – Rael. It was clear he knew far more than he let on. There were too many inconsistencies revolving the man, which only fueled Seraph's distrust. Still, Rael didn't mean him any harm. Of that Seraph and the others had no doubt.

"Rupee for your thoughts?" Malon voice broke Seraph from his musings.

He chuckled. "You'd need a bit more than that."

"Really?" she drawled.

"I'm just thinking about how much my life has changed in the past couple of weeks."

Malon propped herself on her elbow so she could lean on her side and stare at Seraph. "You never did finish telling me about Illum."

He smiled. For meeting not too long ago, they had gotten to know each other pretty well. The other day he had started telling her about Illum – where it was, how life was there, and how the people interacted. He told her about how he grew up as the son of the man who was unofficially the town's leader. He had so many expectations laid out before him, and he aspired to meet them. In doing so, he grew up with few friends, and fewer people who really knew him.

"Some call it a paradise, and I can see why. The ocean's not too far away, and there's a forest nearby. Nature is always adding to the peace of the place. It's the perfect place to escape reality."

She could hear a twinge of regret in his voice, but it disappeared as soon as she heard it. "Then why did you leave?" she asked softly.

"I needed to get away from it," he answered, his voice just as soft. "It was the same every day. The monotony's great for some, but it's a nightmare for others. They all expected greatness from me, but I couldn't find it, not there." He closed his eyes. "I have no regrets. I will always have fond memories of Illum, but it's time for me to make new ones."

Malon smiled. She had found a friend in Seraph, and she had grown to care for him. Maybe it was because she had saved his life, or maybe it was simply because he was the first friend she had made in awhile. Growing up on the ranch kept her separated from others. Link and Zelda were close friends, but they were the only ones with perhaps the exception of Seraph. She wasn't sure how they had become this close in such a short time, but to be honest, she didn't mind.

* * *

The soft notes of the Song of Time left the Ocarina of Time as Link softly blew into the instrument. The three shimmering jewels known as the Spiritual Stones hovered slightly above the alter, slowly rotating. Above the massive stone door passed the altar, the faded symbol of the Triforce filled with golden light, and said door opened, revealing a large room.

Link sighed and handed the ocarina to Zelda. When they had been unable to return the Master Sword to its pedestal, they knew it was necessary to close the Door of Time. With the Pedestal of Time bare, the way to the Sacred Realm was open. While removing the Master Sword was the key to entering the Sacred Realm, the massive door was another obstacle to overcome. They doubted anyone would be able to enter the Sacred Realm like Ganondorf had, but they weren't going to take that chance.

Hand-in-hand, Link and Zelda sat down on the steps to the side of the altar. After searching the Royal library for any references to the Sword of Prophecy, Zelda developed a theory on how to restore the sword's powers. While Link had doubts regarding the sword at first, the two days he had sparred with Seraph showed him that the mysterious weapon's abilities were very real. If what he had seen so far was only a fraction of its potential, then Link was sure that its full power would be invaluable. Seraph just had to learn how to use it.

Zelda sighed and rested her head on Link's shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her. The past couple of weeks had been stressful. They knew Ganondorf was back, but they couldn't do anything about it. They were preparing for a war, but they had no clue when it would start. It was nerve-wrecking, and it forced them to stay on their toes.

"It'll be okay," Link murmured.

She didn't reply. When others were around, she had to remember that she was Hyrule's sovereign, the strong and wise leader of her people. But when she was with just Link, she allowed herself to become more vulnerable. When it was just them, she could act on her emotions, rather than her rational thought. Logic told her that Link was wrong, that something terrible was inevitable, but logic failed when it came to emotions. She was wise far beyond her years, but wisdom could do only such much against emotions.

If there was one thing she could be sure about, however, it was that Link would always be there for her.

"Link," she said softly.

He turned his head to her. "Yeah?"

She kissed him, and he replied in kind. It was a soft kiss, but no one could deny that it was filled with passion. Zelda could feel Link's love, and at that moment, she allowed her emotions to overcome her logic.

When their lips separated, Zelda smiled. "Thank you."

Link blinked. "For what?"

She shifted her body and rested her head against his chest. "For being here for me."

He wrapped both his arms around her and closed his eyes. "Always, Zel."

She smiled. With Link at her side, she knew they'd get through this.

They remained there in each others' arm for several more minutes until they heard footsteps approaching. Malon, Seraph, and Rael walked into the temple, and Link and Zelda reluctantly separated. They had sent a message to Seraph and Malon yesterday requesting that they come to the Temple of Time the next day at noon. Only Seraph needed to come, but they knew Malon would be with him. Rael, on the other hand, had not received a message. Even if Link and Zelda had wanted him to be here, they doubted they would have been able to get a message to him.

The trio walked up to the couple. "Rael met us in town and decided to come with," said Seraph. It was clear was he wasn't very happy with the situation.

Zelda reluctantly nodded. As wary as she had to be around Rael, there was no denying how much the man knew about the prophecy and the whole situation in general. It was infuriating how he only revealed what he knew in bits and pieces, but Zelda couldn't force it out of him. Well, she _could_, but that would make matters ugly and that was something they couldn't afford at the moment.

"Follow us," said Link. He and Zelda walked hand-in-hand into the chamber beyond the Door of Time. Link was hesitant about bringing Rael into said chamber, but he doubted the brunette would try anything when everyone didn't trust him. At the very least, Link was sure Rael didn't mean any harm at the moment.

The five of them gathered around the pedestal on the platform.

"In times like these," Zelda began, "it is not safe to write anything of importance in a letter. Thank you for bringing the sword."

Seraph furrowed his brow. Had she found a way to restore its power? He unsheathed the sword in question and held in out for the princess to take.

She shook her head. "Allow me to explain first. I believe the sword does not lack any of its power. Rather, it has been sealed. If I am correct, each symbol is a seal."

On cue, Link reached into his tunic and pulled out six large medallions. Seraph blinked. Where had they come from? They couldn't have fit inside the tunic. He shook his head and let it pass as magic.

"I believe there is a reason the sword took this form for you, Seraph," said Zelda. "It is my understanding that you must be the one to break the seals on the sword."

Seraph nodded. He figured that would be the case. "How? I'm afraid I do not have any magic of my own, Your Highness." Zelda had offered for him to be less formal with her, but he was still getting used to the idea.

"That's where these come in," Link said, holding up the medallions.

"This is the magic Link was bestowed by the Sages in a physical manifestation," Zelda explained. "Since their power was given directly to him, Link can use their magic as his own, even if it is only a mere portion. However, Link cannot give away another one's power, but he can lend it to you. Using that power, you can break six of the seals, and you will be able to use the sword's power as your own."

"What do I need to do?"

Link walked away from the group and began setting the medallions at the edge of the platform in the shape of a hexagon. When he finished, he walked back to Zelda's side.

"Each medallion requires a drop of blood," said the princess.

Seraph sheathed the sword at his side. He had moved his father's sword to his back, as it was easier for him to draw his blade from the side. He knew he was going to be using the Sword of Prophecy frequently from now on. He pulled out his knife from his cloak and walked over to the gold medallion.

Rael watched silently as Seraph stood over the medallion. This wasn't quite how he would have restored the sword's power, but he figured it was better this way.

Seraph brought the knife his other hand and quickly sliced his palm. He winced and his arm twitched, but he allowed a drop of blood to fall onto the medallion. He put his knife away and held his hand as he walked over to the green medallion. There, he held his hand palm-down and blood dripped onto the emblem. He moved over to the red medallion and did the same before walking over to the blue and repeating himself.

He began to move to the next medallion, the bronze one, but stopped himself. For a reason unknown to him, he skipped the bronze and walked over to the purple medallion. He repeated himself there and at the final medallion. As he walked back to the group, Zelda made a gesture with her hand, and the cut on Seraph's hand closed with a soft silver glow.

Link closed his eyes and felt his magic within him. It was a good thing most of his magic was in a physical form. Zelda had said lending magic from a tangible source was far easier than lending it from his core. She was right, as within a few moments, light began to rise from each of the medallions like cylinders.

A warm feeling enveloped Seraph as he felt the magic from the medallions pour into him. Without waiting, he stepped up to the pedestal and unsheathed the sword. With it in his hand, he raised it above his head and thrust it into the pedestal.

A blinding flash of light emerged from the blade, and a burst of energy threw everyone except Seraph off the platform. Seraph held onto the hilt, which was vibrating violently, and he forced the blade out of the pedestal. Almost immediately, the light disappeared, and everyone else got to their feet. Zelda was in Link's arms, and Rael had caught Malon.

"Thank you," the redhead said as Rael helped her up. He waved away her thanks and glanced at Seraph.

He stood there with the sword in his hand as he glanced at the blade. The first six symbols were glowing a silver light, and the whole blade gave off a glow of the same color. The air around the blade was crackling with lightning, but a few seconds later, that stopped. He broke his gaze from the sword and looked at the others.

"Sorry about that," he said sheepishly.

Zelda was astounded by the power she could feel from the sword. Sure, it didn't match the power of one of the Triforces, but she was amazed by how a sword could contain all that energy. The Master Sword's power was different. One could feel it if he or she concentrated, but it didn't emit this kind of energy. That wasn't to say it was weaker. If anything, the Master Sword was actually stronger than the Sword of Prophecy in its current state.

Link stared at the Sword of Prophecy. Before, it only helped Seraph in a physical way. Its power had been more passive. Now, the magic he could feel was sure to be destructive. If Seraph could master that power, then Ganondorf was going to be in trouble.

Rael was impressed. If this was how powerful the sword was at this point, then how strong would it be in the end? Only six of the seals had been broken, and those contained far less power than the other four.

Malon couldn't use magic, but even she could feel the energy in the air. Until now, she hadn't quite understood how big of a role Seraph was going to play in the war. She knew he was vital, but she hadn't fathomed just how important he was.

Frantic footsteps from the other part of the temple caught everyone's attention. The guards had been informed that Princess Zelda and General Link would be at the Temple of Time today, and they had been told that she was not to be disturbed unless it was absolutely necessary. The guard who ran into the temple stopped at the altar, knowing better than to question the open Door of Time.

The five of them in the inner chamber quickly hurried out and gathered around the altar. Link quickly grabbed the Spiritual Stones and stashed them inside his tunic, which caused the massive stone door to close.

"What is it?" Zelda demanded.

The guard, catching his breath, answered, "Your Highness. Levosa is under attack by Crelmae. Levona1 has already fallen. Our informant reported that the kingdom is only days away from completely falling under Crelmian control."

"Why have we not heard this until now?"

The guard grimaced. "Our informant says it's because of the new Crelmian king. He said he's had to be careful because of the king's ruthlessness."

"Ganondorf," Link muttered. "He's moving faster than we thought. Two kingdoms under his control in just a couple of weeks."

"Tell the generals to meet in the War Chamber immediately," Zelda ordered.

The guard bowed. "Of course, Your Highness." He ran out of the temple as fast as he had arrived.

"It looks like the war has just started," Link said softly.

* * *

Ganondorf observed the army before him. They were pathetic mortals who only existed for him to use. Monsters had been far more efficient, but creating an army from scratch would have taken too long. He had to attack Hyrule as soon as possible, so he had no choice other than to use these _vermin_.

Still, they had their uses. They served as a useful distraction on the battlefield, and with his power, he could shape them into passable fighters.

He'd need quite a few of these so-called warriors to have his power embedded in them. If they could keep the Hyrulean army off his back, then he could deal with _them_. They wouldn't defeat him this time.

It was only a matter of time before Hyrule was his once more.

* * *

Seraph watched his hand as he played with the small flames around it. While they paled in comparison to the roaring fire in front of him, it was more comforting. The red flames seemed to do more than produce heat. It was almost as if they were warming something inside of him.

Rael had recommended that he focus on only one element for now. It was far better to able to use just one rather than attempt and fail to use all six. Fire seemed to be the easiest for Seraph, and in the past day, he figured out how to conjure flames, albeit in small quantities.

Following the meeting in the War Chamber, the Hyrulean Royal Army mobilized, and they arrived nearby the Hyrulean-Levosan Border sometime in the night. It was now the night after, and they had set camp nearby Lake Hylia and the forest adjacent to it.

Many had been unhappy with the decision to wait for the Crelmian army to come to them. Zelda, in particular, had been quite vocal when there were few around, but she understood and even agreed with the plan.

Movement toward Lake Hylia was the most logical, as it was the weakest natural defense Hyrule had. Most of the army was positioned so that the Crelmian army could not reach the lake without a fight. Meanwhile, the rest the army, roughly one fifth, and the Gerudos were waiting farther back. When the Crelmians were in sight, Zelda was to contact Nabooru via the Sage's mental connection, and latter would lead her group, accompanied by Garren, across the bay and ambush the enemy.

It wasn't the soundest plan, but with the time they had to prepare, it was the best they had. Given the scout reports, the Crelmians would be here some time tomorrow.

"You should save your energy."

Seraph looked up and saw Rael sit down opposite from him.

"I'm fine. I know I've only had this magic for a short time, but this isn't draining at all."

Rael shrugged. "If you say so."

"Crazy, huh?" Seraph murmured. "Just a few weeks ago, I was sitting around across the world, doing nothing special. Now, I'm sitting here waiting for the first battle of a _war_. I don't know about you, but I'm a nervous wreck."

"You'll be fine. I think you underestimate the sword's power. Me? Well, I suppose I could be worse off. I'm confident in my magic, but I know I have no chance against anyone of real power."

Seraph rose from the log he was sitting on. "I'd better go get some sleep. Good luck tomorrow."

Rael continued to stare at the fire. "You too, Seraph."

* * *

Two men and two women huddled around a roaring fire as they tried to stay warm in the cool spring night. Across the camp, others were doing the same. The four generals looked worse for wear as they had been fighting only a few hours ago. The takeover of the Levosa had progressed at a mind-boggling rate; it had taken only a week for the entire the kingdom to fall under the control of Crelmae.

It couldn't be more obvious that the new king was entirely responsible for this progression. Under his direction, the capital of Levosa had fallen in a mere day. From there, every city and town in Levosa fell into Crelmian control or were destroyed if there was resistance. The new king was absolutely ruthless. The generals doubted that he even needed the army with him; they suspected they were only there to speed things up.

"I thought you said he wouldn't attack Hyrule yet, Aethir," one of the men grumbled.

The last city to fall was only a few hours from the Hyrulean-Levosan Border, and the army had set up camp nearby. They would have stayed in the city, but it had been one of the few that had been destroyed. Given that the king had no intention of returning to Crelmae yet, the army could only assume they were moving into Hyrule.

"I didn't think he'd go through with this. We're clearly not ready to take on Hyrule, so I can only see one reason for this attack," said Aethir.

One of the women spoke up, "To test its defenses."

"Right."

"Hyrule's not like Levosa, and we're in no condition to keep fighting. We're going to get slaughtered," the other woman muttered. "He's crazy."

Aethir sighed and closed his eyes. "That he is but he's powerful, and I suppose that's all that matters."

* * *

Seraph twisted his body out of the way to avoid his enemy's sword. Before he could deal with the soldier in front of him, he was forced to drop to the ground as he saw an archer in the corner of his eye fire an arrow at him. He rolled to his feet, dodging another attack at the same time, and began moving closer to where he thought his comrades were. He and Rael had been separated from their group not too long ago. He knew the brunette was somewhere nearby, but there were too many enemies for him to look around.

Crelmae clearly had superiority in numbers, but Seraph couldn't help but notice that their quality in soldiers was less than that of Hyrule's. It was almost as if they had no desire to fight for their kingdom. Well, considering the fact that they were fighting a war that the new king, who had usurped the throne, had waged, Seraph could understand their reluctance.

The plan had worked nicely. At the start of the battle, the Hyrulean army had been overwhelmed, but when the Crelmians were ambushed, the tide of battle began to turn.

Seraph thrust his left hand forward, and a ball of fire shot out from his palm. At the same time, he charged at his opponent. The latter jerked his body out of the way to avoid the fire and barely managed to lock swords with his opponent. Seraph took no time to gain the upper hand and pushed the soldier back. He arched his sword upward and knocked his enemy's sword out of his hand. Before the defenseless soldier could react, he was met by a burst of flames from Seraph's hand.

An arrow struck Seraph's right shoulder, and he saw forced to turn around. His eyes fell on the archer who had shot at him earlier. He wrenched the arrow from his shoulder and barely dodged another one. He fired another ball of flames from his hand and began to close the distance between his opponent and him. As he neared the enemy, Seraph continued to send fire to keep the archer off guard.

Seraph thrust his sword at the enemy once in range, but given it was his right arm that was injured, he let out a hiss of pain. The archer skillfully parried Seraph's sword with his bow and pulled out a dagger. Once he recovered, Seraph began to circle his opponent and prayed no one interfered. This enemy was a step up from other enemies he had fought.

The archer kept his eyes on Seraph, and his arm twitched. On instinct, he threw his dagger at Seraph. At the same time, the latter shot more flames from his hand. Both fighters dodged the attacks and immediately began another round of attacking.

The Crelmian swiftly nocked an arrow, which glowed red, and fired it at Seraph's feet. He was hoping the unexpected attack would create an opening for him to take advantage of. Little did he know, he would have been better off going for a lethal attack.

Simultaneously, Seraph swung his sword diagonally at his opponent. He didn't know what brought him to do that, but he was surprised when a ribbon of fire emerged from the blade at the same angle his sword had just traveled.

The archer never had the chance to avoid the attack and was cleanly sliced in two. There was no blood, as the flames cauterized the separated area immediately.

Seraph tried to move away from the arrow, as he could sense some sort of energy within it. He didn't manage to get away, and the arrow released a burst of flames, which he was caught in. He winced as the fire washed over his torso, and he was grateful for the magic that Zelda had imbued in his clothes. He, like Link, was more comfortable fighting without armor, so Zelda's magic granted him some protection. His clothes became a sevenfold more durable, and a simple fire wouldn't be enough to burn through them. He was quite surprised when the arrow pierced his shoulder.

He reached into his cloak and pulled out a bottle of blue potion. It was another enchantment Zelda had cast on his clothes. It was the same as the magic Link's tunic possessed. Anything put into his cloak shrank to a negligible size, so a multitude of items could be store within. Without letting his guard down, he took a glance around the battlefield as he took a drink of the potion.

He spotted Link and Zelda in the distance, and it seemed the Crelmians were avoiding those two. Anyone who went near them were immediately struck down. Those two could handle themselves. Somewhere off in the opposite direction, he found Rael fighting a single enemy. It seemed like he was giving it his all and was losing, so Seraph quickly hurried over.

* * *

Rael rolled away to dodge a few spears of ice. His body shimmered out of focus, and he appeared behind his opponent. He summoned a large ball of fire and let it go at the enemy. With a surprising speed and grace, the latter spun around and deflected the fire off to the side with ease, despite the fact that Rael had attacked at such a close proximity. The brunette teleported away before he was cut into pieces.

He appeared several meters away from his opponent and kept his distance. This woman before him was, no doubt, a skilled fighter. She couldn't be less than a few years younger than him. Attempts at magical attacks proved to be useless, as she was disturbingly adept at batting away his attacks. The magic he was sure would be effective took too long to cast, and the woman was quite skilled with that bladed whip.

He didn't know much about the Crelmian army, but the insignia on her armor was that of a general; it shared distinct similarities with its Hyrulean counterpart. Rael could see it in her eyes. She did not want to take part in this war, but she wanted to die even less, so she was putting her all into fighting.

Another conjured spear of ice was shot at Rael, who twisted out of the way and returned fire with three consecutive blasts of flames followed by violent gust of wind. With uncanny precision, the woman deflected the first ball of fire into the second and batted away the third. The gust of wind caught her off guard, and she thrown off her feet and back a few meters.

Rael knew he had to keep the fight at a distance. As ineffective as his magic was, it was far more reliable than attempting to fight up-close. He shimmered off to the side of the general and made an X with his arms. Balls of fire began to form over his head, and within a few seconds, five roaring flames hovered over him.

The woman spotted Rael, quickly conjured a large spear of ice, and fired it at the man.

One of Rael's flames intercepted the attack, and the fire and ice burst into a mist of steam. Immediately after, he parted his arms and pointed both hands at the general. The four balls of fire rose into the air before quickly shooting down at her. Rael immediately teleported behind his opponent and made an intricate motion with his arms.

The general fired off an ice spear for each flame shot at her and swiftly spun around to face Rael. At that moment, a spiral of fire emerged from the man's hands and soared through the air. She created a wall of ice in front of her and poured her energy into it to maintain it for when the flames struck. When fire and ice met, a giant cloud of steam filled the air and continued to grow larger as the two warriors fought to maintain their magic.

Rael's energy began to strain as it was poured into the fire. His face was covered in sweat from both the flames and the drain of energy. The only reassurance in Rael's mind that he could win this was that the steam had to be scalding the general. He was so focused on maintaining the fire that he barely spotted the spear of ice appear above him to his right and shoot at him. He quickly dispelled the flaming spiral and shot a ball of fire at the ice. The two elements burst into a cloud of steam, which blocked Rael's sight.

He sensed the magic of teleportation and barely dodged the general's blade, but before he could move or counterattack, she waved her wave and three small spears of ice pierced his chest. The physical force from the attack threw him onto his back. He was lucky her aim was a little off. Had one pierced an organ, he would have been finished.

Rael frantically melted the ice and pulled out a bottle of blue potion. Like Link and Seraph, his cloths had been enchanted for greater protection and storage. He wasn't quite sure how the ice spears had penetrated his cloak so easily, but he figured he must have done a faulty job when imbuing his clothes with his magic. He hurriedly brought the bottle to his lips but found that he wasn't so rushed as he thought.

The general deflected a ball of fire, and Rael turned his head to where the attack had come from. Seraph was a few meters away and was throwing fire after fire. He didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon, and his body looked to be clear of injuries. Rael smiled inwardly; with the both of them healed physically and magically, they might just have a chance against the tiring general. He quickly took a long draft of the potion and got to his feet.

Seraph continued to fire off flames from his hand as he approached the woman who had downed Rael. While the whip in her hand was intimidating, Seraph knew the only way he was going to have a chance was in close quarters combat. As the woman batted away yet another ball of fire, Seraph's belief was only reinforced. Whatever little magic he had wasn't going to do him much good.

When he was only a couple meters away, Seraph swung his sword forward, and a ribbon of fire emerged from the blade. He noticed the woman's eyes widen in surprise, but a moment later, she disappeared. Out of that same instinct, which Seraph now credited to the Sword of Prophecy, he dove forward. He rolled to his feet, and as he spun around, he sent another ribbon of fire followed by more flames from his free hand.

Now that the woman was close enough, Seraph spotted the insignia on her armor. Like Rael, he came to the same assumption that she was a general. She rolled away from the first attack, and as the other flames approached her, she conjured a wall of ice to block the attack.

Seraph frowned. So it wasn't going to be as easy as that. He didn't expect anything less from a Crelmian general. Before he could make another move, a spear of ice appeared out nowhere and shot at him. He twisted his body out of the way, but the woman disappeared while his focus was diverted.

He rolled away again to dodge the bladed whip, but this time, three smaller ice spears were shot at him as he was off his feet. With no time to dodge, he braced himself and was pleasantly surprised when a large ball of fire intercepted the attack. When he got to his feet, he looked to the side and saw that Rael had gotten up. He was continuously throwing flames at the general while approaching her like Seraph had earlier, but the older man's attacks were significantly more powerful.

The general was once again batting away the flames like they were bugs, so Seraph took the opportunity to move in. He lunged at her and thrust his sword forward. The blade struck a wall of ice that appeared out of nowhere. At the same time, the woman's concentration slipped, and she was unable to deflect another ball of fire. Her armor seemed to block the actual fire, but the physical force still threw her several meters away from the other two combatants.

Rael's eyebrows shot up at this. She seemed to have no problem multitasking before. She must have been tiring and was beginning to make mistakes. Rael teleported to Seraph's side and nodded to the younger man.

Seraph charged forward and alternated balls and ribbons of fire. He doubted he could do any serious harm to the general; he was leaving that task to Rael.

The general abandoned her defensive techniques and took a more aggressive approach. She began firing off conjured ice spears as Seraph approached. Every once in awhile, she traded her ice with his fire to cancel the two out, but she focused more on dodging and attacking.

Seraph was pushed into a similar position as the general. He had to stay on the offensive and allowed a spear of ice to clip him every now and then. He just hoped the protections on his cloths would be enough. He didn't think he'd be able to keep up the little fight for much longer. Even though she was tired, the general was still a much more skilled fighter than he was.

An ice spear penetrated Seraph's shoulder, and he let out a cry of pain. All attempts to maintain an offensive were lost as the general began firing spear after spear. Seraph melted the spear in his shoulder and began dodging. It was all he could do now.

The general swiftly fired several small spears to his left and right before sending a large spear fight at him. Seraph was trapped, and he knew it. If he dodged to either side, he'd be caught in the attack. He couldn't duck or roll to avoid the spears, as that would only present the general with a larger opening. And he certainly couldn't just stand there.

With that same random instinct as before, when he sent a ribbon of fire at the archer, he thrust his sword forward and wasn't even surprised when a wedge of fire shot out of the blade. The attack took care of the large spear and continued toward the general. She was quite shocked by this sudden attack and rolled away to dodge.

As if a new technique had just been crammed into his brain, Seraph began a flurry of slashes and thrusts with his sword. Countless ribbons and wedges of fire soared at the general, and she was the one who was forced into dodging.

A rush of heat from behind Seraph signaled that Rael was ready.

The older man was moving his hands in a complex pattern around the glaring ball of white fire he was holding. The ball of fire shot up into the air and began to take shape. Within a few seconds, it turned into a flaming dragon head.

Seraph continued his seeming-endless barrage of attacks to hold the general off until Rael's attack struck.

The woman in question gave up dodging and threw her arms away from her, palms facing away. A dome of ice formed around her and began to glow a very soft blue light. She didn't dare teleport to dodge the attack, as her opponents seemed to be able to track her movements. Teleporting gave them too much of an opening, and at this point, one mistake could be fatal. She was confident she could block this attack, but she knew it would incapacitate her. She just needed to hold on for a bit longer.

The flaming dragon head shot down from the sky and exploded against the dome of ice with a giant burst of steam. Seraph relented his attacks and took a step back. It was a good thing Rael attacked when he did. The younger man was completely exhausted magically. Rael appeared next to Seraph as they waited for the steam to disperse, and the latter took a long drink of blue potion.

When the steam cleared, Seraph was the first to spot the still-standing general and thrust his sword out, sending a wedge of fire at her. Before the attack could reach her, however, a column of stone erupted from the ground and blocked the attack. Seraph and Rael's eyes shot to the man standing atop the large rock. While they couldn't make out any details, they knew this was another Crelmian general.

The newcomer disappeared from where he was standing, and the stone column rose into the air before it flew over to where Seraph and Rael were standing. The latter quickly grabbed the younger man and teleported the two of them to safety. They reappeared just in time to see the rock crash into the ground they had just been standing on.

Seraph grimaced. "Thanks."

The two of them spotted a dome of light and could see the two generals inside. They ran over to their opponents but kept a safe distance from the dome. The two generals were taking, but Seraph and Rael couldn't hear a word.

"Took you long enough," the woman grumbled.

"I had to deal with some Hyruleans first. Sorry about that," replied the man. His eyes darted to the two men standing outside the dome. The woman followed his eyes and gripped his arm.

"I know what you're thinking. Don't do it."

"They hurt you," he growled.

"They're stronger than they look, especially the one with black hair. Please, Aethir," she pleaded. "_He's_ already fighting _them_. We've done our job."

He sighed and nodded. He wrapped his arms around her, and with a flash of light, the two of them disappeared.

Seraph blinked when the two generals left without a word. He wasn't expecting that.

Rael blinked as the light hurt his eyes. He turned his head to where he could hear and sense another battle going on.

"Come on," the older man said. He nodded to Link and Zelda off in the distance. "They need our help."

* * *

With a slight shimmer, Zelda teleported behind a soldier and snapped his neck. She gracefully spun around and threw a few conjured needles at another soldier who tried to sneak up on her. The needles struck him in the chest, and he fell down without a word. With another shimmer, Zelda was back at Link's side.

"Save your energy, Zelda," he said.

The two of them were just sitting out in the battlefield, waiting for Ganondorf to show up. Very few enemies were willing to attack them after they had effortlessly slaughtered a large group at the beginning of the battle.

Both of them hated killing, but they knew it was an inevitable part of war. Link was more accustomed to slaying monsters, but he had killed a few people during his quest to free Hyrule from Ganondorf's grasp. While Zelda was hiding herself as Sheik, she had been force to kill a handful of people in order to keep her identity a secret.

Link was garbed in his typical attire and was holding the Master Sword in his left hand and the Mirror Shield in his right. While in theory, the Goron Tunic would have been better suited for this battle, he had chosen the Kokiri Tunic instead. While it lacked the resistance to fire, it was much lighter. Besides, Zelda had already cast several more enchantments on the tunic for protection. Nearly all the items he had acquired during his quest were shrunken and stored inside. Even the Biggoron Sword was somewhere inside his tunic.

Navi was silently floating over her companion's shoulder. She knew this was one of those times where Link and Zelda were better off without her talking. She planned to stay out of the way and would only warn them when it was necessary.

Zelda was dressed in a Sheikah attire that she had chosen for mobility. It was of a similar design as the one she had worn she was Sheik, but it lacked the eye in the middle and the entire suit was blue. Unlike when she was Sheik, however, it was blatant that she was a woman. She had tied her hair back so it wouldn't get in the way and didn't have anything covering her face.

If they weren't on the battlefield right now, she was sure Link would be staring at her hungrily. Instead, he just looked at her with a face that clearly showed he was thanking the Goddesses.

They had tried to stay as inconspicuous as possible, but they had failed miserably. There was an aura of authority, confidence, and power surrounding the pair of them, which while it drew the attention of everyone nearby, it also kept a great number of them away.

"I would have expected him to show up by now," Zelda said softly. "Both sides are suffering heavy losses, but it's obvious the Crelmians are losing. He's just throwing away his army."

Link sighed. "He doesn't care about them. They're just tools."

Zelda nodded. "But he needs them. He would never admit it, but he needs an army for a war like this."

"I'm surprised we haven't seen any monsters. I half-expected him to have an army of monsters that were the 'bosses' of the temples." He shuddered at the thought.

"It would take him too much time and energy to create an army like that. He wants this over quick."

"He's not as confident as we thought then."

Before either of them could say another word, their bodies tensed as they sensed the sudden arrival of a great power. They turned their heads to the side and saw exactly who they were waiting for. Atop a hill in the distance, a man reared the black horse he was riding.

Ganondorf, the King of Evil, had arrived.

* * *

**Note: **Yay, more cliffhangers! So, this chapter was originally supposed to include the fight with Ganondorf, but I realized that would have made this chapter really longer and the after too short. Instead, I'm giving you all this ending to keep the chapters fairly even.

**1:** Levona is the capital of Levosa. I know aren't I original? This will be one of the changes in the updated map. . . . Gah, why don't superscripts work?

**Thanks to my reviewers!**

LoveandZeLink**  
**


	8. Chapter 7

Wow. There is no excuse for me taking over a month to write this chapter. To make matters worse, its shorter than the last one. The last time it took me this long to update, I had a solid reason. This time, I have none. I'm terribly sorry for making all of you wait this long.

I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_

* * *

Chapter Seven

Link dove to the side as the King of Evil drove his fist into the ground. Ganondorf had ridden his horse into battle, only to jump off and attack the earth near him enemies. The sheer power behind the attack resulted in a large shockwave, which threw Link onto his back. Zelda had managed to teleport away in time, and Link knew she would buy him the time he needed to get to his feet.

The princess whipped a ball of golden light at Ganondorf before willing her body into the air above him. Several conjured needles appeared in her hands and were thrown down immediately. Link didn't wait to see if Zelda's attack had any effect and rolled to his feet. With a swift, practiced precision, he returned his sword and shield to his back and produced his bow from his tunic. An arrow that was not there a second ago was nocked and fired at Ganondorf. A golden aura enveloped the arrow as it soared toward the enemy, and upon contact, it burst with a swirl of light.

Zelda appeared at Link's side, and she continued the barrage of attacks with two spears of golden light. Before Link could fire off another arrow, a rush of dark energy emerged from the Evil King, and Zelda's spears splashed into a black aura with no effect. Ganondorf cocked his head to the side and let out a bark of laughter.

Link glanced at Zelda, and with a nod, he disappeared with a flash of green light. Not a second later, more green light filled the air as the hero appeared in front of his enemy with his sword and shield drawn. He quickly threw a spin slash at Ganondorf, but the Master Sword uselessly bounced off the black aura. Before the Evil King could counterattack, Link teleported behind him and thrust his sword at his back. Again, the attack had no effect, and the latter flashed away.

Before the blonde reappeared, Ganondorf spun around and thrust his hand forward. An ominous beam of black energy shot out into the distance. At the same time, Link appeared in the path of the beam and widened his eyes. A blue crystal of light immediately formed around him and blocked the attack. Smoke filled the air where Link stood and was cleared as a wave of fire came forth.

During his quest years ago, Link had only used the magic that the Great Fairies had bestowed him in a limited fashion. Farore's Wind had never been used to teleport in battle. For the most part, Din's Fire had been used to navigate through temples; it had not been used in combat frequently. The use of Nayru's Love was still the same, but he could call up the magic much more quickly.

Link gritted his teeth. All he had to do was hold Ganondorf off, but it frustrated him that his attacks had no effect. He teleported in front of the Evil King and swung his forward before disappearing with a flash of light, not waiting to see if his attack had done anything. He appeared behind the enemy and attacked again before flashing away. The air around Ganondorf filled with a constant glow of green light as Link continued to teleport and attack.

The tyrant stood there, laughing as the Master Sword repeatedly bounced off his aura without any harm. The boy was trying so hard to land an attack on him, but all he was doing was wasting energy. As another flash of green light came forth, Ganondorf thrust his arm forward and clenched his hand into a fist. Link appeared in his enemy's grasp and gasped as he was lifted off the ground by the neck. Ganondorf drove his free hand into Link's gut and released the blonde at the same time, throwing him several meters away onto his back.

Link's body struck the ground with a loud _thud!_. He bit back a cry of pain and found his mouth filled with blood. He slowly supported himself on one knee and spat the blood out of his mouth. In the distance, he saw a streak of golden light soar into the clouds. A small smirk formed on his mouth. Maybe this would shut Ganondorf up.

Zelda had been waving her arms in an intricate pattern, and different shades of gold were now swirling around her hands. She stopped abruptly and held her hands outward, and the light settled into a golden sphere, floating in front of her. She thrust both her arms to the sky, and the sphere shot up, leaving behind a golden streak of light. The clouds parted where the sphere had passed through, and within moments, the sky began to darken.

Ganondorf glanced at the sky and laughed. He stood his ground as thunder began to roar above and ignored the fact that Link and Zelda had left the area clouded by the dark skies. A bolt of lightning struck the ground next to him, but he was unfazed as the debris hit him. He continued to wait for the real attack, and a few moments later, he got what he wanted.

An unnaturally massive bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and struck the Evil King dead on. The battlefield shook as the lightning destroyed everything in its wake. A giant cloud of debris, dust, and smoke filled the air, and nearly everyone turned their heads to the sight.

Link and Zelda stood out of the range of the attack and waited for the air to clear. While they knew that a single bolt of lightning would not defeat Ganondorf, they knew it was nothing to sneeze at.

A powerful gust of wind emerged from where Ganondorf had been standing, and the air was cleared of impurities. The Evil King was still in the same place as he had been when the lightning had struck. The earth beneath his feet had remained untouched, but the same could not be said about the area around him. A crater that went on for meters in every direction now scarred the earth several meters deep.

Ganondorf scowled as his aura began to fade. There had been another reason why he had chosen to wait for so long before entering the battle. The aura he had summoned from deep within his magic had taken a great deal of power and time. It constantly regenerated, so multiple weaker attacks could not break it. Only a large, concentrated amount of power could bring the aura down.

The tyrant cursed his arrogance. He had believed the princess's attack would not have been enough to break his aura. Had he emerged unfazed, their hope would have been crushed. Now, he was sure they were feeling more optimistic. His power had been enhanced to a point where they would have stood no chance against him years ago, but he had failed to realize that their power could have increased by just as much. He shook his head and teleported away, leaving the ground beneath his feet to fall apart into the crater.

Link cheered inwardly. Zelda's attack had broken Ganondorf's aura, and now they had a chance to do some real damage.

Zelda surveyed the area. Regret filled her as she saw what her power had done, but she pushed it down. There was no time for such thoughts. Ganondorf was still around.

The two blondes jerked their heads up to the sky as they spotted their enemy reappear. Ganondorf held a ball of black lightning above his head, and he hurled it down to where the two of them were standing. He took no time to wait and began gathering his magic for another attack.

The attack had no specific target, so Link moved into its path and swung the Master Sword forward. Metal clashed with lightning, and sparks emerged from the two. This wasn't like before; Ganondorf's attack was not easily reflected. With his battle cry that people had become so accustomed to, Link pushed the lightning back and let it fly back to its caster.

At the same time, Zelda gathered her own magic into a ball of pure white light and fired it into the air.

It was an odd sight as the two polar opposite attacks soared through the air side by side.

Ganondorf released a second ball of lightning aimed at Zelda's attack. As the two forces of magic collided, they burst into a cloud of smoke, which was immediately cleared as the first ball of lightning continued to its target. The tyrant backhanded his own magic, redirecting it to another part of the sky where it burst into an array of eerie lights.

While Ganondorf was occupied by his own attack, Link and Zelda produced their bows from what seemed like nothingness, and each fired a Light Arrow at their enemy. As they soared through the air, the arrows merged into a larger one. The Evil King thrust his hand out into the path of the offending attack, and an arched wall of black energy appeared in front of him. The arrow harmlessly struck the wall, releasing a swirl of golden light.

Green soon joined gold in the air as Ganondorf sensed Link teleport behind him. He barely managed to turn around in time to block the Master Sword with his arm. The moment his attack struck, Link disappeared and instantly reappeared behind the enemy. He swung his sword again and teleported the moment his attack connected.

It was the same as when they had been on the ground, but with two key differences. For one, Ganondorf had to put up a defense now, so there was a chance an attack could be landed on him. On the other hand, with the two of them so high above the ground, Link was putting himself at risk. If Ganondorf managed to break through his offense, he could very well send him down to the earth. Without any support, a fall from that high would be fatal.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Zelda was moving her arms in another obscure pattern. Seven golden spears were floating above her head in an arc, waiting to be released. Just as she did before, she suddenly stopped her movements, but this time, she merely snapped her fingers. The spears shot off at her command and lined up back-to-front.

Ganondorf sensed the incoming attack but was still dealing with Link. It wasn't like before. Earlier, he had stopped him easily because he didn't have to focus on defending himself. He fumed at the blonde disappeared again and blocked another attack. The princess's attack was more threatening, so he created another wall in front of him to block the spears.

That was the opening Link needed, and he drove the Master Sword in between Ganondorf's shoulder blades and wrenched the blade down. The latter roared in pain but kept his shield up until all of Zelda's attack passed. With a speed Link had not expected, the tyrant spun around and backhanded him.

Link could see stars as his body plummeted to the earth, and he tried to focus so he could teleport within a meter or so from the ground. His efforts were unneeded, however, as he felt Zelda's arms wrapped around him before everything began to blur as their bodies shimmered away. The two of them crashed into the ground, and somehow, Link managed to turn their bodies so that Zelda fell on top of him rather than on the ground.

He smiled. "Thank you."

She returned his smile softly. "Always."

They helped each other to their feet and looked up at the sky. They could _feel_ his anger. Link glanced at the Master Sword and smirked. He thrust the blade into the ground to clear it of blood.

They just might have a chance.

* * *

With the Crelmians beginning their retreat, Seraph and Rael didn't encounter too many enemies along the way. Those foolish enough to try and take on both of them were quickly dealt with. Off in the distance, they could see Link and Zelda fighting Ganondorf. While they couldn't distinguish who was who, the array of lights in that area held their attention.

Rael didn't want to risk teleporting to another part of the battlefield, as he was not the most proficient with the ability and doing so could allow an experienced enough enemy to catch them off guard. With roughly a kilometer or two left to go, the two continued to run toward the battle.

The sudden emergence of a dark presence caught Rael's attention, and the instant he registered what it was, he grabbed Seraph by the shoulder and jerked him back. The latter stumbled and fell into the older man, throwing them both to ground just in time to see a mass of black energy slam into the ground they would have been standing on a moment ago.

Seraph and Rael jumped to their feet, the former nodding to his companion in thanks.

The dark mass in front of them blurred, and before they knew it, they were surrounded by four unidentifiable figures with cloaks draped over their heads and bodies.

"Again?" Seraph muttered. There were only four of them, and he had Rael with him this time. The fact that he was much stronger than before only helped matters.

The four enemies faded from view, but Seraph and Rael knew better. The two of them stood on the edge of their toes as they waited for their foes to make the first move. To an outsider, it was an odd sight as they sprang forward and blocked an invisible foe.

Each of them blocked some kind of blade. Seraph had the flat side of his sword's blade facing outward and had the palm of his free hand supporting the blade. Even though he could not see his enemy, Rael managed to catch the incoming attack by slamming his hands onto both sides of the blade.

Out of the corner of their eyes, the two companions saw two masses of fire flying toward them, one from each of their sides. Almost identically, they pushed their enemies back and thrust their hands forward, letting a ball of fire emerge from their palms. Each turned to one of the flames to deal with the incoming attack.

As Seraph twisted his body, he arced his sword over his head and pointed it at the fire, thrusting the blade forward. The same spear-like wedge of fire shot out of the blade and collided with the enemy's attack, resulting in a giant burst of flames.

Rael, on the other hand, simply summoned his own ball of fire and shot it at the enemy's. Like with Seraph, a burst of fire filled the field.

Seraph focused on the sword's magic and attempted to call upon its light. While he and Rael could handle the enemies' invisibility, it was still a major inconvenience.

Rael saw his companion concentrating and fired off a spear of flames in the direction of where he sensed two enemies approaching. He quickly spun around and swung his arms forward, sending a powerful gust of wind at another foe. The last one was already within range with a sword, so the brunette dove away, feeling the wind rush over his head from what he was sure was a blade.

Seraph wasn't quite sure if this would work, but he raised his sword above his head and concentrated on calling forth a shining light. At first, nothing happened, but as he began to lower the sword, the diamond embedded in the blade began to pulse with silver light. A sudden burst of light came forth, forcing Rael and Seraph to shield their eyes.

The latter carefully opened his eyes and found that it was safe see again. He spotted four cloaked enemies and noticed that they seemed to have no form of teamwork. They were scattered around, and it was clear there wasn't any coordination between them. No one else had opened their eyes yet, so he quickly moved in.

Rael sensed that Seraph was moving again and opened his eyes. The raven-haired swordsman was already closing in on the foe that he had hit with the gust of wind. Following the younger man's example, Rael summoned a ball of fire and shot it at the closest enemy.

By this time, the cloaked figures recovered from the light and found themselves put on the defensive. Seraph was already swinging his sword rapidly, sending multiple ribbons of fire at his enemy. By the time one reached the cloaked foe, another two had already emerged from the blade.

The enemy was forced into blocking and dodging and was overwhelmed by Seraph's relentless assault. Within a few moments, the latter was within striking range. To catch his enemy off guard, the young swordsman drove his right elbow into the figure's chest. Immediately afterward, he took a step back and let his sword fly through the air. Whoever he or she was, the cloaked enemy was effortlessly sliced in half.

Seraph's sword had simply cut through the cloak as if there was no one wearing it, but his attack did what was intended. The ruined cloak fluttered through the air for a moment before falling to the ground.

Rael exchange blasts of fire with his opponent for several moments before he managed to land an attack. Unlike what he expected, the cloak did not ignite, but it was clear that the enemy was stunned. Before the latter could recover, Rael thrust his hand forward, conjuring a spear of flames, and shot it at his foe. The fire effortlessly pierced the enemy, and the cloak dropped into a pile of rags.

A wave of heat rushed behind Seraph, so he spun around to find a ball of fire approaching him. With no time to dodge, he held his sword in front of him, flat side of the blade out, and pressed his left palm against the metal. The fire struck the blade, but it did not continue further, nor did it dispel. The flames settled against the blade and attempted to move forward, exerting its physical force against the metal.

Sweat covered Seraph's brow as he tried to free himself from his position. His arms ached as he attempted to push the fire back, and the heat didn't help matters. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an enemy lunging at him but was unable to do anything. Flames flashed through the air, and the cloaked figure was thrown back.

The swordsman's concentration slipped, and he felt his body arc back. In an act of desperation, he removed his left hand from the blade, crying out as that left his right arm alone to deal with the attack, and twisted the sword so that the blade pointed forward. It seemed to do the trick, as the blade cut through the fire, and the latter parted around its target.

Seraph dropped his arms and sighed in relief. Not too far away, he spotted Rael fighting both cloaked enemies and rushed over to help him.

Rael had not been able to help Seraph, as the remaining two enemies had decided to attack him together. He twisted his body to the side to avoid an incoming blade and teleported away in time to dodge another ball of fire. When he reappeared, he saw that, to his satisfaction, the second attack struck the first foe. He sensed Seraph approaching, so he sent a gust of wind at his enemies to slow them down.

The younger man stopped beside his comrade. "Sorry about that."

The latter waved it off. "Don't worry about it."

A flash of lightning in the distance caught their attention. There was no doubt that it was the result of the battle between the three Triforce holders. Lightning filled the air again, but it was much more intense this time. Not even a second later, a massive roar rocked their ears, and even the ground the two of them were standing on shook.

Neither of them had the time to think about what just happened, as they heard something crash into the ground behind them. They whirled around and spotted another mass of dark energy before them.

Seraph groaned, "You've got to be kidding me!"

Concentrating on the silver light from before, he thrust his sword forward, and a ray of light emerged from the blade. Before the newcomers could separate, the light struck and stunned them.

Seraph and Rael unleashed a multitude of flames at their new enemies but found that the light had done less than they had thought. The newcomers as well as the other two enemies disappeared, and a moment later, the two companions found themselves surrounded by six enemies.

"We'll each take one out, and then you've got to get over there," said Rael.

"You're crazy!" Seraph exclaimed. "You're going to fight four of them on your own?"

The six cloaked figures each shot a ball of fire at them as they were talking. Rael quickly grabbed Seraph's shoulder and teleported both of them not too far away from their enemies.

"I'll be fine!" the older man snapped. "You need to get over there and help them."

The swordsman scoffed. "What help am I going to be? You saw what just happened."

"Trust me."

Seraph glared at his comrade but relented. "Alright."

Without another word, he turned to the enemy and shot a wedge of fire from his sword.

* * *

Link jumped to the side, dodging a mass of black energy. Once his feet touched the ground, he dropped and continued to roll. The moment he was back on his feet, his fired a Light Arrow at Ganondorf.

At the same time, from the tyrant's other side, Zelda trapped a ball of dark energy headed toward her in a cone of golden light. She pushed her own magic back to Ganondorf and dispelled it, releasing the dark energy back to its caster.

Without a shimmer or any distinguishable sign, Ganondorf teleported out of the way, allowing light and dark to collide. He'd brought the fight back to the ground, as he could inflict more damage there. The fact that he was outnumbered and that he was more likely to be overwhelmed did not bother him. These two, while very formidable, were no match for him alone.

The moment Link and Zelda spotted Ganondorf as he reappeared, they began to assault him with ranged attacks in hope that Link could get within striking range with the Master Sword.

From the Hero of Time, Fire, Ice, and Light Arrows were being alternated at an amazing speed. In addition, the occasional wave of fire was sent, though it was only directed at the enemy as opposed to the circular area wave.

From the Princess of Destiny, an assortment of different magical attacks was being used. Although light was the predominant element, the other five were utilized as well. To add to that, her magic was taking different forms with balls, beams, and spears being only a few. Even conjured needles imbued with the elements were being used.

With so many random attacks, the Evil King had no idea what to expect and was forced to stay on his toes as he defended himself. He knew what they were doing; they weren't doing much to conceal their intent after all. The boy needed to get closer to use the Master Sword, as it was their most effective weapon against him. He wasn't going to make it easier for them though. As he blocked and dodged their attacks, he backed up, distancing himself away from them while they approached him.

Link's attacks weren't as rapid anymore, as he hadn't taken an opportunity to drink a potion since the beginning of the battle, and his magic was reaching its limits. As if Zelda knew what he was thinking, she discretely nodded her head, so he immediately brought out a bottle of blue potion and took a quick draft of it. With his body and magic healed, he continued his assault just as fast, if not faster, as before.

While Link had stopped his attacks, Zelda had increased the pace of hers. That, however, came at a cost as she felt her magic draining. To her surprise, she saw Link nod at her before tossing her a bottle of green potion. The second the bottle left his hand, he began firing arrows faster than it should be possible. She caught the bottle in one hand and continued to send fire from the other. Once she was done with the potion, she simply waved her hand, causing the bottle to vanish.

With the two of them rejuvenated, their attacks flew through the air so quickly that they were a blur. To push their sudden advantage, they began approaching their enemy more quickly.

With no other choice, as he was beginning to be overwhelmed, Ganondorf teleported into the air. However, the moment he appeared in the sky, a mass of fire struck him in the side. While it hadn't inflicted any damage, it still irritated him. He turned to where the attack had come from and saw someone approaching. He pointed his hand at him, ready to end his existence but paused.

The power from the sword the newcomer was holding was ridiculous. At its current level, the power wasn't anything to be amazed by, but its hidden power just seemed limitless.

Just who was he to wield such power?

* * *

Seraph was reluctant to leave Rael to deal with the remaining enemies. They had taken out three rather than the two they had originally agreed on. While the remaining three weren't that much of a threat, it didn't change the fact that Rael was outnumbered three to one.

He didn't encounter any more enemies along the way to the other battle, as the Crelmian army had all but finished their retreat. There were a handful of stragglers, but it was clear their only intent was to get off the battlefield as soon as possible.

As he neared the remaining fighters, he was able to see the battle in greater detail. Link and Zelda were currently on the offensive, seemingly giving all they had. Those two were using so much magic that all Seraph could see was a blur of colors. Ganondorf, he could tell, was in no position to fight back. It seemed like the tyrant was beginning to be overwhelmed by the magical onslaught.

With less than half a kilometer to go, Seraph decided to see if he could get an attack or two on the enemy. He began to thrust his sword in the direction of the Evil King, but something told him to redirect his attack in the sky. Just how much influence did the Sword of Prophecy have over him?

As Seraph continued to run toward the battle, he noticed that Ganondorf was no longer on the ground. He jerked his head up and spotted his own fiery attack about to strike. The spear-like wedge struck its target with a burst of flames, but if it had any effect, Seraph could not tell. He spotted Ganondorf pointing his hand at him, so he stopped and waited on the edge of his feet.

It seemed as if Ganondorf was hesitating, but Seraph immediately discarded that thought when a mass of dark energy emerged from the tyrant's hand. The raven-haired swordsman darted forward, and as he saw the darkness fly past him to where he had stood before, he dove and fell into a roll. He jumped to his feet as he heard and felt the explosion behind him. He gulped. He was out of his league.

Link and Zelda were at his side a moment later.

"What are you doing here?" the former hissed. "You're not ready for this."

The princess grabbed the two of them by their shoulders and teleported them away in time to dodge another attack.

"It's too late," she said upon reappearance. "Ganondorf's sure to have sensed the sword's power by now."

Link sighed. "Try not to get yourself killed."

The three of them quickly separated as another attack sped down toward them.

Seraph dove into another roll to increase his distance from the attack. He immediately got to his feet and surprised everyone, including himself, by making the first counterattack. He swung his sword twice in an X-pattern before thrusting his sword. The result: two crossed ribbons of fire followed by a spear of fire, which sped through the middle.

Link was right behind Seraph with his attack. Three Light Arrows were fired so quickly that they nearly side by side, and they began to revolve around each other. The same was done for Fire and Ice Arrows before the cycle was repeated once more.

Zelda effortlessly summoned two golden spears, which were hovering above her head. Unlike the seven she had created before, calling up two required little time and concentration. The moment those two were fired, she teleported to the ground behind Ganondorf and conjured another two spears.

With attacks coming from every direction, Ganondorf had to prioritize them. The princess's were easily the most lethal, but the hero's could stun him long enough for more attacks to hit. He was sure the newcomer was the smallest threat, but he wasn't going to take any chances.

A wall of darkness formed to his left, and another rose behind him. He didn't dare create more for the other attacks, as that would weaken the other two. He diverted his attention to his right, and began firing blasts of dark energy at the incoming arrows. At the same time, he focused on his magic, and a dark aura flared up around him. While it was nothing compared to before, it would likely be enough to deal with the remaining attacks.

The golden spears struck first, but the walls held on longer enough to block all four. Ganondorf was still occupied with Link's arrows, and smoke filled the air as the magic collided. He couldn't stop his defense though, as the hero would not let up on his attacks. His aura was holding up against the fiery attacks, but it was beginning to weaken. Like the blonde, the black-haired swordsman was not stopping his attacks.

While the others distracted Ganondorf, Zelda began calling up her magic to hopefully end the battle. She had her arms above her head, spread out to the side with her palms up. A ball of gold and silver light began to form over her.

Seraph was panting as he sent another wedge of fire at Ganondorf. His magic was beginning to slip, but he forced himself to hold on for as long as possible.

Link knew that his enemy had most of his attention on him and noticed Zelda gathering her magic. He needed to keep Ganondorf on the defensive and pushed himself to fire arrows faster than he had ever done before.

Ganondorf gritted his teeth as he dealt with Link's assault while maintaining his aura. Whoever this newcomer was, he was outmatched in every way. Nevertheless, he had still managed to weaken his aura to the point where he had to maintain it on his own.

Zelda was pouring her energy into the ball above her, and sweat began dripping from her face as she struggled to contain that much magic. When she could no longer hold the energy, she threw her arms forward and willed the ball forward. The energy sparked for a moment before it morphed into a bolt of golden and silver light, which shot off at the enemy.

The Evil King sensed the massive amount of energy heading toward him. How the princess had managed to conceal that much magic was beyond him. As it was his only choice, he teleported to another part of the sky. The moment he reappeared, however, more attacks were already heading toward him. Teleporting to avoid attacks while already occupied was always his last resort, as it gave his enemies an opening. While he was stuck defending himself before, he had some control over the situation. Now, he was already being overwhelmed.

Between their reflexes and sensing Ganondorf's magic as he teleported, Link and Zelda were able to continue their assault as if their enemy had barely moved.

Seraph, on the other hand, was exhausted magically. As he leaned on his sword for support, he fished out a bottle of green potion and quickly took a large drink.

Ganondorf spotted his remaining enemy, who had stopped to recover. He quickly gathered up his magic and threw down a massive ball of lightning. As the ball plummeted to the earth, a pulse of energy was fired to increase its speed.

Seraph glanced up as he heard the roar of rushing magic and found that it was too late to get away. He gripped his sword in both hands and barely swung forward in time for metal to clash with lightning. He immediately cried out from the force exerted on his body but willed himself to stay strong.

Link and Zelda were torn. They hadn't been able to stop Ganondorf's attack, and there had been no way from them to block it in time. However, the Evil King gave them a large opening, which they took advantage of. A golden spear had cleared through his left shoulder, and a Light Arrow was protruding from his right leg. They had to press on and could only hope that Seraph would be alright.

The raven-haired swordsman was forcing himself beyond his limits. This attack was, understandably, much more difficult to deflect than the fire from before. Lightning sparked from the point of contact but parted around him. He wasn't strong enough to repel the attack, but he wouldn't give in either.

For what felt like ages, he struggled against the lightning until the Sword of Prophecy began to glow. On the blade, the symbol of Power began to fill with reddish-gold light, and warmth enveloped Seraph's body. With a newfound power, he began to push the lightning back and forced it into the sky, right back at Ganondorf.

The Evil King saw his own attack rising through the air at an alarming speed. When his magic hadn't been reflected, he had thought he had succeeded in silencing one of his enemies. Even though it was his own magic, he knew it had to deal with it first. When the lightning was close enough, he struck it with his forearm, sending it straight back to the ground. In doing so, he gave Link and Zelda a second opening; another golden spear and Light Arrow grazed his left and right sides respectively.

Dread filled Seraph as he watched Ganondorf's attack returning faster than before

Just as he went to swing his sword forward, Rael appeared in front of him. With his arms outstretched in front of him, he blocked the lightning with his hands.

"Go!" he cried painfully.

Seraph did as he was told and looked back to see the lightning overwhelm his comrade. The energy released an explosion, and Rael's cry could be heard from the smoke. Something began to fill the swordsman's body. Was it rage? No. It was pure, unfiltered power. Rael had saved his life one time too many. Without knowing what he was doing, he let the power take over and let out a roar of anger.

Power surged around his body as it formed into a silver aura. Before he knew it, he was in the air in front of Ganondorf.

Everyone was stunned into inaction. Where had this power come from?

Seraph thrust his sword at the Evil King's chest, but the blade was met by two hands. As the sword was caught by his enemy, the swordsman's aura flared. Now, the blade easily slipped through the tyrant's hands and found itself lodged in its target.

Ganondorf choked as the blade pierced his body. It was impossible. How could this boy wield so much power? With a roar of fury, he backhanded Seraph with such a force that the swordsman nearly hit the ground instantly.

As one last act of defiance, Seraph ripped the sword from his enemy's body and was satisfied to hear a roar of pain. As he plummeted to the ground, he closed his eyes for the end.

Link and Zelda watched in awe as Seraph's power overwhelmed Ganondorf. While the tyrant was weakened from his injuries, he was still more powerful than either one of them. Horror filled them as they watched their comrade fall to the ground at a speed where neither of them could do anything. Before Seraph hit the ground, they saw that his body began to glow a pure white.

They turned their attention back to the Evil King but found only a massive black aura in the air. The darkness remained for a moment before it faded without a trace. They looked at each other, worry evident in their eyes.

The first battle of the war had been won. But at what cost?

* * *

**Note: **Again, my apologies for the long wait. The next chapter will likely be the same length, if not shorter. However, it should, and I repeated _should_, be done within the next two weeks. Hey, that'll be a first, won't it?

**Thanks to my reviewers!**

LoveandZeLink

DanaeMariSkywalker**  
**


	9. Chapter 8

Well, it definitely didn't take as long as last time for me to update. Two and a half weeks? I'm not quite sure if you're all happy with that, but it's definitely an improvement for me.

I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_.

* * *

Chapter Eight

The skies over Illum began to clear after the storm that had been going on for the past several hours. The torrential downpour had kept everyone inside their houses. A storm of this caliber was unusual for the town but not unheard of.

One of the first people to walk outside was a middle-aged woman with long, graying hair. She was dressed casually in a red sundress as she was only going on a walk to check on her neighbors. As the thought of the people she lived with in the small town entered her mind, a pang of sadness filled her. She knew she would be stopping at an empty house during her walk.

A couple of weeks had passed since Seraph Arsinev left Illum. The Arsinev family had lived in the isolated town for several generations, so one would think that the departure of the last of the family would have shocked the town's citizens. Rather, everyone had been surprised by how long the young man had stayed. For years, they all knew how much Seraph wanted to leave Illum.

When Roland passed away, the town thought Seraph would be bitter by the thought that he was forced to stay. They had all been surprised when he had chosen to follow his father's footsteps. They knew it wasn't what he wanted, but they were also aware that his sense of duty outweighed his desires.

The day the town learned that Seraph had left, there had been a general feeling of pleasant surprise. They didn't know what had caused this sudden change of heart, but they were happy for him. Illum would be able to move on from the loss of the Arsinev family.

After checking in on all her neighbors, the woman, who was known as Lyra, stopped in front of the Arsinev family home. While it was fairly larger than the surrounding houses, everyone knew it could very well have been a manor.

Before Orion Arsinev first settled in Illum a couple of centuries ago, he had lived a luxurious life. However, it did not take him long to realize that his wealth meant nothing in this peaceful town. Rather than building a home similar to the one he had been raised in, he had built a slightly larger than average one. Using his wealth, he helped make Illum into what it was today.

Lyra opened the door and walked inside – Seraph had left his home open to anyone in need. She had been a close friend of Roland and had supported him after losing his wife. She herself had lost her husband at a young age, so the two friends had found comfort in each other, but their relationship had never been anything more than platonic. She had been close to an aunt to Seraph and was both happy and sad by his departure.

She took it upon herself to make sure the house was kept in good order. While she doubted Seraph would return, maintaining the house gave her a sense of solace. As always, she stopped by the study first.

The room, while the largest in the house, wasn't anything special. Typically, the layout of the room changed when the house was passed down to the next generation. Only a few years prior, the study had been used for research and had an air of formality. Now, by Seraph's choice, it was far more casual as it had been often used for relaxation.

In the center of the room were two long couches with a glass table in between them. Several bookshelves stood against the side walls, containing all sorts of texts. There was a fair-sized desk in the far left corner, which until a few weeks ago, had always been a mess.

There was one noteworthy object in the room, however. Standing against the center of the far wall was a large slab of a glossy, black stone. Names were engraved into it, and below each one, there was a small diamond. In most cases, there were only holes of the shape, but in a few others, there were small gems.

The tablet in question had been created by Orion's grandson and served as a family tree of sorts. When one entered the Arsinev family, he or she was bound to one of the gems, which would change color according to his or her well-being. Blue represented that one was fine physically. Purple represented illness, pain, or some other form of incapacitation. Red was linked to danger. When the gem became black, it meant that whoever was bound to it had passed away.

There were only ten gems embedded in the stone, so when it was needed, one would be taken from an older generation. Roland had once mentioned that Seraph's gem was once bound to the tablet's creator.

Lyra glanced at the stone and froze. Seraph's gem was pure white; according to Roland, the gems could only change between the four colors. She hurried over to inspect the stone for anything amiss but found nothing. She was at a loss as to what this could mean.

A few days after Seraph had left Illum, his gem had turned red. She had stopped by the house as usual and had been worried sick when she saw the red gem. When it turned purple, a small sense of relief filled her. She supposed pain or illness was better than danger.

She took a step back and began to leave, but not before stealing one last glance at the now-white gem. Wherever Seraph was, she could only hope he was alright.

**. . . . . . . . . .**

Ganondorf stood alone in the darkness of night, pondering on the battle he was still recovering from. How did _he _have so much power? That unknown swordsman had barely been a threat, yet in the end, he was the one responsible for his defeat. Where did that power come from?

If it hadn't been for the Triforce of Power and his own magic, he would have died there. Magic sustained his life while his heart, which had been destroyed by that sword, healed itself. Even now, though, there was a tightness in his chest which easily turned into pain.

Not for the first time, the Evil King cursed his arrogance. Had he not toyed with Link and Zelda, he would have crushed them. They would not have broken through his aura if he hadn't been so foolish. Even though he had been on the defensive for the most part, he had fought them to a standstill. It hadn't been until that newcomer interfered that the tide of battle began to turn.

Something clicked in the tyrant's mind. Link and Zelda hadn't been able to defeat him until _he _joined, until they had _united_. Everything came crashing down on Ganondorf. That swordsman was the one in the prophecy.

While he was trapped in the Evil Realm, he constantly plotted his revenge. Although he had lost all sense of time there, he knew he hadn't been sealed for very long when that voice echoed through his mind. That prophecy foretold his return, and though he knew he would break free from his prison one day, three years was far earlier than he would have ever anticipated.

The pieces of the puzzle slowly fell into place. _He _hadn't been a threat because he was only coming to grasps with whatever the light of Prophecy was. His last attack against the swordsman had struck someone. It was clear it hadn't been its intended target, so whoever took the brunt of the attack caused the newcomer to lose control.

Ganondorf began to laugh. That. . . boy could not control his power. As long as he never reached the point of unlimited power, they would never win. With one last chuckle, he began to return to the camp his army had set up.

It was time to implement the next phase in his plan.

**. . . . . . . . . .**

Just as they did before the battle with Hyrule, the Crelmian generals, save one, sat around a roaring fire. One of the women was still in the infirmary. Next to the fire, one of the men was holding the woman, who had her back against his chest. The other man sat across from them, silently gazing into the flames in front of him.

The woman could tell the man holding her was thinking by the way his body was tense. She turned herself so that she was facing him and tilted her head.

"What's wrong, Aethir?"

He sighed. "Anyone could have told you the attack on Hyrule was a disaster. They were waiting for us, _and _they had an ambush set up. We never stood a chance. Not even _he _won his battle." He paused for a moment before continuing. "We lost far too many men and women. Vrinda nearly died. I almost you, Adele," he finished, whispering that last part.

"I'm okay, Aethir. Just a few cuts and burns," the woman named Adele said reassuringly.

He gazed into her eyes before pulling her closer. They tried to refrain from showing affection when others were around, namely other soldiers, as it was unprofessional. But it was times like these, where they didn't care about anyone else.

She rested her head against his chest and felt his body relax. They remained in that position for a couple of minutes until they heard someone approaching. They didn't need to turn around to know who it was; that sense of power nearing them told them exactly who it was. They separated and stood up, their silent comrade doing the same.

"I require one of you, generals," the Evil King said without preamble.

With a slight movement of his hand, six cloaked figures, armed with swords, appeared behind him. These six were the epitome of what imbuing someone with his magic could do. The three to his left could be identified as women. With their hoods over their heads, as well as some magic preventing anyone from seeing their faces, they were unidentifiable with the exception of red eyes that pierced through their veil of mystery. It was the same case with the three to his right, but they were posed as men.

"One of you will lead these six into Hyrule," Ganondorf continued.

Before Aethir or Adele could respond, the remaining general stepped forward and nodded.

"Galek – "

"No, Aethir," the general in question interrupted. "You were right. I have to face the facts. Mera's gone; you still have Adele. Say goodbye to Vrinda for me."

The coupled generals stepped closer to their comrade. With a few exchanged nods, they understood. Aethir shook Galek's hand before pulling him into an embrace, and Adele did the same.

With one last nod, Galek walked over to the six cloaked people. He turned around and made a gesture with his head for Aethir and Adele to leave. They complied, torn between knowing whether or not this was the last time they would see their comrade.

Unbeknownst to everyone, one of the cloaked women was fidgeting as if she was fighting against some invisible bindings.

**. . . . . . . . . .**

Seraph wasn't sure what was worse – an ongoing, dull pain or a brief burst of feeling as if his body was on fire. He awoke to the latter and all but cried out in agony. The pain lasted for a few moments before he felt a potion of some sort forced down his throat. He was immediately relieved from his torment and sighed in relief. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, so he did so and slowly allowed everything to come into focus.

As he was staring straight forward, he naturally spotted Link and Zelda near the foot of his bed. There was a fair degree of worry etched on their faces, so he nodded to them in an attempt to reassure them.

His eyes darted to the right where they met Malon's soft blue eyes. Without taking his eyes off hers, he spotted the small bottle in her hand.

Knowing she'd helped him again, he smiled. "Thank you."

She simply smiled back, her eyes glistening.

The pain settled into a dull ache as Seraph began to look around. It was clear he was in an infirmary of some kind, and judging by the simple elegance the room had, he assumed he was back in Hyrule Castle. Beds were spread throughout the room, and there was a feeling of scattered organization. Nearly every bed was occupied by someone. It couldn't have been too long since the battle if there were this many people.

A door to the left burst open as a middle-aged woman in white robes entered the room. She shook her head with a chagrined look as she approached.

"I leave for two minutes, and you finally decide to wake up?" She smiled, and her face softened. "How are you feeling, Mr. Arsinev?"

Seraph groaned as he sat up. "Apart from the pain, not bad."

She nodded. "That's understandable. Despite what you may think, there's nothing wrong with you physically. Her Highness would understand more." She turned to Malon. "You did well, Miss Malon, getting that potion to him quickly."

The redhead blushed and muttered, "It was nothing."

Link and Zelda stepped forward. The latter spoke, "If there is nothing else, I'm going to have to ask you to leave us, Demela."

"I understand, milady." She bowed and walked over to the far corner of the room where curtains where drawn presumably over a bed.

Zelda nodded to Malon, but it was not a dismissal. It was a nod of acceptance.

"You've been in a magical coma for the past three days," the princess began. "It takes years, if not decades, for one to train his or her body to utilize that much magic. That brief burst of power at the end of the battle was far too much for you to handle. Your body has been adjusting itself, hence the coma. To be honest, I did not expect you to awaken for quite some time.

"That said, you'll need to be careful for the next few days. You are going through the final stages of recovery, so you will not be able to use any magic without harming yourself."

Seraph nodded and glanced at Malon questioningly.

"They've already filled me in on what happened," she answered.

He nodded and turned back to Link and Zelda. "What happened afterward?"

Link answered this one, "Ganondorf left immediately. Had he stayed any longer, we would have had him." His voice became grave. "We lost over five hundred men and women, but Crelmae lost well over two thousand. It was a victory for us, but we can't afford that many losses anymore and neither can they.

"We have nearly as many injured in many different degrees. Varrel was hurt pretty badly, but he'll be alright. We're not too sure about Reine."

At the mention of the injured, Seraph spoke up, "What happened to Rael?"

Link nodded to the curtains in the corner of the room. "He too is in a magical coma, but his is more. . . violent. He's been releasing bursts of energy, so he's being kept away from everyone for their safety."

Seraph stared at the curtains, worried. There was no doubt in his mind that Rael meant him no harm. Time after time, he had saved him, and he had nearly given his life for him. He may not have liked the older man's methods, but he would trust him with his life.

"Ganondorf will not attack so recklessly next time," said Zelda. "He thought he would defeat us easily. Judging by the fact that he greatly underestimated you, we are under the impression that he does not know the prophecy."

"Or perhaps his arrogance carried over to that as well," Link added.

Seraph nodded. "He definitely didn't take me seriously. The moment I overpowered him, he retaliated with a vengeance. By the way, what happened after that? I lost control of myself, but I still remember what happened up until he struck back."

Link and Zelda glanced at each other. The latter decided to take this one.

"I believe you unknowingly used more of the Sword of Prophecy's power to save yourself," she said.

Before anyone could say anymore, the same door to the left burst opened, and a guard hurried in.

"Your Highness! General Link! There's been an attack on Lon Lon Ranch!"

Link and Zelda looked at each other before the princess grabbed the former's hand. The wards around the castle prevented teleportation, but they were two of the very few people who were keyed to the wards. Without another word, they disappeared from the infirmary.

At the same time, Malon's face became deathly pale.

Seraph noticed and grabbed her hand with his own, squeezing gently. His eyes met hers again, and he tried his best to reassure her. He wasn't sure if he helped, but a small, grateful smile graced her face as she sat down on the bed beside him.

All they could do was hope and pray that everything would be alright.

**. . . . . . . . . .**

Galek silently lead his . . . team, he supposed, across the vast field. It hadn't been hard to sneak past the countless guards patrolling on both sides of Lake Hylia. Every several shifts, a few boats would cross the lake. It had been child's play to dispatch the appointed guards and take the boat to the other side. From there, it was the simple matter of sneaking to the target.

_His Majesty_, as Galek supposed he had to call him, wanted this to be a small strike, to crush the morale of the Hyruleans. Crelmae had suffered a humiliating defeat, and the Hyruleans were sure to be in higher spirits than that of their enemies.

The ranch was an ideal target. According to _him_, it lacked any form of defense, and it served as an important part of Hyrule. The objective was simple: destroy the ranch and leave before they were caught.

As the seven of them neared the ranch, Galek thought, not for the first time, about the six he was leading. He had been given some power beforehand, and he knew it didn't have desirable effects. His skin was much paler now and his eyes had a tint of red to them. He supposed that _his_ magic turned one into something less mortal. He could only wonder how much power the rest of his group had been given. Judging by how red their eyes were, he knew it was far more than what he had been given.

He raised a hand and gestured to the walls surrounding the target. With a small mental command, he let his magic gather in his legs before he jumped off the ground. With ease, he launched himself over the wall, the others following suit. Just as he used his magic to propel him into the air, he did the same to cushion his fall, and the six landed behind him a moment later.

With another gesture, they all sprang into action. Flames erupted from their hands and were sent to any and all worthwhile targets: the large grazing field and the track around it, the barn, the stables, the house – everything. A raging inferno consumed the ranch as the fires spread everywhere. The cries of the suffering animals could barely be heard over flames.

Galek stood, the flames raging around him, ashamed by his actions. The attack made sense, but it was a despicable act of cowardice.

With the knowledge of the area, traveling by foot wasn't necessary anymore. With a third gesture, the seven of them disappeared, leaving the ranch to burn.

**. . . . . . . . . .**

Link and Zelda expected a raid of some sort on the ranch. They never would have anticipated the inferno that currently ravaged the place. They were lucky they appeared in one of the very few places where the fire had not yet reached.

They immediately knew it was too late to save the ranch, but perhaps they could still save Talon and Ingo. The blue crystal of Nayru's Love surrounded Link and a bright silver barrier enveloped Zelda as they charged through the burning field. The flames did little to strain their magic, so it did not take long to reach the buildings as they hadn't seen anyone out in the fields.

"Check the barn and stables," Link said. He nodded to the house. "I'm going in."

Zelda went to do as she was told but stopped when Link continued to speak.

"Take care of yourself, Zelda."

She barely heard him over the flames and gave him a quick nod before disappearing into the barn.

Link took a deep breath before he broke through the house's door and began searching.

"Talon! Ingo!" he yelled out. If anyone answered, he wasn't able to hear them.

The search downstairs didn't take long, and he rushed upstairs, hoping to find someone. He broke down the door to Ingo's room first, as it was the first one he came across. He still didn't understand why the man lived at the ranch but discarded the thought immediately; there was no time for thoughts like that. The room was vacant, so he moved to Talon's room and forced his way through the door.

He found the older man unconscious on the floor in front of the bed. He hurried over and grabbed Talon's arm before his disappeared with a flash of green light.

**. . . . . . . . . .**

Zelda's search of the barn yielded nothing but pain. The sight of so many dead animals tore her apart. Seeing the suffering before her only made it worse. She knew there was no time save all of them, and she was ashamed that she was searching for a single man rather than helping all of the suffering animals.

She left as soon as she could and hurried into the stables. It was almost the same case as it was in the barn. The only difference was she found Ingo writhing in pain as the flames mutilated his body. With two successive teleportations, she grabbed him and took him back to the castle.

**. . . . . . . . . .**

Seraph was doing his best to comfort Malon as they waited in silence. The ranch had been her home all her life, but more importantly, her father was still there. He knew the pain of losing a father, and he didn't wish it on Malon.

A flash of green light broke them from their silence, and they jumped to their feet as Link appeared on the infirmary floor with Talon.

They watched as the blonde sprang into action. He lifted Talon's chin before he placed his hands on top of the older man's chest and pressed down numerous times at a constant rate. Link brought his mouth to Talon's and let out a breath; he glanced at the man's chest for any sign of movement before doing so again.

Seraph recognized what Link was doing as a common technique used to restart one's heart. Malon clung unto him as she watched with a look of fear and worry etched upon her face.

A blur caught the raven-haired swordsman's eye as he spotted Zelda appear in the middle of the room. Ingo was with her, but it was clear something was wrong. The crooked-looking man's clothes were burnt all over, and he was thrashing around in way that could not be described as pleasant.

Seraph bounced his eyes back and forth from Link and Zelda torn about what to do. He was overwhelmed by the situation, and at the current moment, there wasn't much he could do. One day he would look back and regret not doing anything.

A blur of different colored lights left Zelda's hands, and they wrapped around Ingo. After a few moments, his body seemed to relax, and he was floated over to an empty bed.

Link was still trying to revive Talon and was compressing the older man's chest.

"Damn it, Talon! Wake up!"

Malon was starting to lose hope and was tightly holding onto Seraph's arm. Fear dominated the worry on her face as she watched Link fight to save her father.

Zelda slowly and silently walked up to Link and laid a hand of his shoulder.

"Link," she whispered mournfully, "it's too late."

All of the hero's efforts collapsed right there. He slowly lifted Talon off the ground and gently laid him on what had been Seraph's bed. He walked over to Zelda and embraced her, allowing them to let out their grief together.

Zelda's words had been the tipping point to send Malon into despair. She wailed and wrapped her arms around Seraph, burying her face against his chest. Seraph held her, not awkwardly at all, as she cried. His heart broke at the sight of Malon being in so much pain.

Something began to well up inside of him. The feeling was very familiar, and he immediately knew what it was. This time, however, it was different. He was in control this time.

Seraph continued to hold Malon for a few more minutes. It was very long until his emotions took over, and he knew he had to act now.

"Malon," he said gently, "I need you to let me go."

She did so without resistance and looked at him at with a hurt look. He nearly broke down there. The sight of so much pain that he only added to tore him apart.

"Forgive me," he whispered, regret clear in his eyes. With a shattering _Crack!_ echoing throughout the castle grounds, he disappeared from the infirmary.

The sudden magical backlash caused Link and Zelda to drop to their knees, still holding each other. The former gaped in awe and horror.

"He just teleported through the wards, didn't he?"

**. . . . . . . . . .**

Galek crept across the scarred wasteland back to the camp, not daring to teleport yet. Their orders had been quite clear: do not get caught. The general knew better than to believe that _he _actually cared. No, they would have another purpose soon.

Teleportation left behind a significant magical residue. Anyone adept enough with magic would be able to track them. The plan was to reach the crater scaring the battlefield from a few days ago. There would be too much magic there for anyone to follow them.

Leaving the ranch that way hadn't been a problem because the flames masked the magic from teleportation. None of them could perform long-range teleportation to a large extent, so they had simply transported themselves to nearby Lake Hylia.

Crossing the lake the second time had been just as easy as before. The trek from there was smooth sailing, even with a storm now pouring down on them.

The seven were just about to reach the crater when Galek stopped abruptly. There was something in the air, but he couldn't put his finger on it. It felt like magic, but it was too pure, too raw, for that to be the case. He was about to give the command to teleport when a bolt of lightning flashed across the air.

In perfect unison with the lightning, a man appeared in the center of the crater. The night had left Galek's vision adjusted to the darkness, and what he saw confounded him. The man had to be in his early twenties, but that couldn't be possible. What he felt in the air a moment ago was coming straight from the green-eyed swordsman before him. The power pouring from the sword he had in his hand didn't help matters either.

Just as the Crelmian general signaled his group to teleport, the air began to buzz again with magic. He recognized the energy he felt. It was an anti-teleportation ward and a strong one at that, but that was impossible. The stronger a ward was, the longer it took to cast. Here, however, a powerful one had been erected in a second.

Knowing there was no other choice, Galek gave the mental command to attack, but he was too late. The young man was already moving.

The formation they were in was perfectly fine for movement, but during an attack it was less than ideal. Their arrowhead position left nearly all of them vulnerable, and their weakness was immediately taken advantage of.

Galek kept an eye on the enemy as he approached them at an unnaturally fast speed. As he neared them, the swordsman suddenly disappeared without a trace.

Not even a second later, the general felt one of the mental links with his group become severed. Before he could do anything, another link was cut.

Galek gave the remaining four control of their minds; he would not be able to command them and fight at the same time. Using magic to enhance their speed, as they could not teleport, the five of them surrounded the enemy. Only split-seconds from perfection, they each summoned a pillar of fire from the ground in front of them and released it into the center. The flames met together, and a spiral of fire roared up into the sky, despite the pouring rain.

However, through the fire, they could see that their enemy seemed to be completely unfazed by the attack, and he raised his left hand above his head. The blazing spiral began to contort as the flames swirled around the swordsman as if they were under his control. The flames began rushing into his raised hand, and within a few moments, they formed into a small crystalline ball.

Galek sprung off his feet, once again using magic to enhance his movement, and lunged forward. The other four followed suit, and together, they drew their swords back and thrust them at their enemy.

Just as the blades were able to connect, the man faded away, leaving the crystal he was holding to drop to the ground. The moment it touched the earth, the ball released the flames it was containing, and the pillar of fire was reborn.

The five of them managed to shield themselves from the flames, but the physical force from the sudden eruption threw them off their feet.

Just as before, Galek felt the destruction of a link. He immediately rolled to his feet and called the remaining three to him. The second he did so, however, he felt another link leave him. As the last two appeared at his side, he tried to evaluate the situation.

This enemy was too powerful, too fast for them to handle. No matter how hard he tried, Galek couldn't track his magic. How was it that one could mask so much power?

Escape was definitely out of the question. Even with all seven of them, he doubted they would have been able to bring down the ward in time.

Three against one. With the amount of power they possessed, this should have been an easy fight. The two left with him, he knew, were the best of the original six. One was a man; the other was a woman.

The enemy appeared before them yet again, and Galek couldn't help but be bewildered. Teleportation without any distinguishable sign was the final sign of a true master of the ability. He knew _His Majesty_ could do it, but to find another one capable of doing so was mind-boggling. Even Princess Zelda of Hyrule, who was rumored to be one of the most powerful magic users in the world, left behind a shimmer.

Galek's thoughts were broken as the swordsman disappeared again. Before any of them could react, the enemy was behind the cloaked man, and there was a blur before a disgusting _Crack!_ echoed through the air as the latter dropped to the ground, leaving behind only his cloak.

The general knew it was over. There was no way the two of them could defeat this . . . being. With the burning defiance to fight until the end, he moved to strike down the enemy but was stopped by his remaining companion.

When Galek gave her control of her mind, something small awakened inside of her. Despite losing all of what she was, she knew that whoever he was, Galek was someone very dear to her. She had struggled with her mental and magical bindings when he had chosen to lead them. And now that her mind was free, she knew she would protect him at any cost.

She slowly turned to Galek and laid an open hand across her chest. From under her cloak, she stared at him before she spun around and lunged at the enemy. The magic inside her began to well up, and when she was a hair away from him, she released everything she had.

A massive explosion rocked the ground, and Galek nearly fell. A giant cloud of smoke and debris filled the air where the enemy had been standing. Was it over?

He thought about the peculiar act the woman preformed before she sacrificed herself. There was definitely some sadness in what she did, and he found that odd. He had thought that they had been completely corrupted. How was it that she showed some sign of emotion?

Something clicked in his head, and dread began to fill him. He didn't want to believe it, but no matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise, everything made sense. As the truth came crashing down on him, he dropped to his knees and let out a primal cry, one of anger and despair.

A sudden gust of wind emerged from the cloud of smoke, and the young swordsman stood in the middle of a small crater, completely untouched.

Galek jerked his head up and found his enemy unharmed. With a snarl, he jumped to his feet and lunged at the young man. The latter vanished again, and a moment later, the general felt an excruciating pain in his gut. A sword was protruding from his lower abdomen, which was yanked out immediately. He dropped to his knees and felt his strength leaving him.

Why was he still alive? Why hadn't the enemy finished him? He slowly turned and found something that only enraged him further. There was a look of hesitation and horror on the young man's face.

Galek lunged forward from his knees and thrust his sword at his enemy. The look that had been etched upon the young swordsman's face was gone. A blazing fury returned to his dark green eyes, which the general knew must have been there originally.

The blade of the Crelmian's sword was caught in the hand of the enemy and was broken into two. Galek stumbled forward as he lost his balance.

There was a rush of wind behind him before everything became nothing.

**. . . . . . . . . .**

Seraph slowly trudged down the path to the Hyrule Castle gates, using all of his strength to keep moving. The castle was in sight, but his vision was beginning to blur. As he took another step forward, his knee gave out, and he stumbled forward, falling to the ground face-first. He heard his sword clang against the ground beside him and he groaned in pain.

Every bit of energy he had was gone. For the third time a couple of weeks, he closed his eyes and lost consciousness.

* * *

**Note: **The chapter lengths will most likely be around the same as this chapter, four, five, and seven. Every once in a while, there will be a chapter that is a thousand or two words longer than average, like seven.

Also, for the scene breaks, I decided to abandon the horizontal rulers, as I don't like seeing them separate short sections. At some point, I will go back and replace them in the previous chapters.

Regarding the attack on Lon Lon Ranch, I've had that planned since the beginning, as it leads to another test of Seraph's power, and it will have an effect on Seraph and Malon's relationship. Don't hate me!

Now, there's one thing left that I'm surprised I haven't been asked about: Navi. I won't lie. I'm **completely **forgot about her. To be honest, I can't really find many ways to integrate her into the story, so that is something that may or may not be resolved.

**Thanks to my reviewers!**

Iioquack

DanaeMariSkywalker**  
**

LoveandZeLink


	10. Chapter 9

Wow. . . I can't believe it took me this long to update. I'm incredibly sorry that it did. I really don't know what happened here. Writer's block? I guess that would be the cop out answer. In nutshell, I suppose, this chapter was really hard for me to write. I really don't know why.

Regarding this chapter, I had to go back and add a very small addition to Chapter Four. Remember when Seraph unsheathed the Sword of Prophecy for the first time, he heard a woman's voice (and I'm sure you all assumed it was one of the Goddesses)? Well, there's an additional sentence to that now. You don't have to go back and read that part, as it is brought up again in this chapter.

Enough of that. It's been over six weeks since I updated, so I'll get to the chapter.

I do not own _The Legend of Zelda_.

* * *

Chapter Nine

Ganondorf's patience was running thin. Through the magic he controlled in his . . . servants, he supposed, he could trace them. He had felt the destruction of the ranch and expected them to return at any moment. At some point, he could not track them anymore, so he assumed they had entered distorted field of magic in the crater. They should have come back immediately, but return they did not.

Without any sign, he vanished from his isolated part of the camp, teleporting to the scarred battlefield. Rather than appearing in the crater, however, he slammed into something solid and found himself standing several meters away from the crater. Blood leaked from the corner of his lips, but he ignored it. What he was interested in was the translucent dome of magic in front of him.

It was clear that it was a ward, but if that was the case, why hadn't he just broken through? It was true that, by habit, he didn't use too much energy when teleporting, but even then, he hadn't found any protection that could keep him out. He carefully inspected the wall of magic before him. He could partially see into the dome before everything became clouded. Whoever had cast this hard was powerful indeed. He had no doubt that he could break through if he really tried, but he decided to take another route.

He could sense his magic amongst the residual energy in the crater, but as far as he could tell, there was no one inside the ward besides his warriors. He teleported into the air high above the crater. Unlike on the ground, his ability to look past the ward wasn't impeded. Needless to say, what he saw confounded him.

Five of his servants stood around a spiral of fire that nearly reached the top of the dome. But that wasn't what shocked him. In the midst of the flames stood the wretched swordsman from the prophecy.

That didn't make any sense. For one, he shouldn't have recovered that quickly. If that wasn't enough, why was _he_ of all people here. If anything, it should have been Link and Zelda fighting. And why were there only five of his warriors left?

The flames began to twist and shrink as the column lowered itself into the swordsman's raised hand. From his place in the sky, Ganondorf could see the red glint from the crystallized fire in the boy's hand.

He already knew what was going to happen next, and he cursed his servants' foolishness. Just as he thought, the five cloaked warriors lunged at the swordsman, their blades moving in for the kill. Just before their attacks struck, the enemy faded from view, leaving the crystalline fire to drop to the ground.

Ganondorf blinked. Was it the ward that was blocking his ability to sense the boy's magic, or was that wretched swordsman able to mask his power as he teleported? Contrary to popular belief, power had little to do with the ability to teleport without any trace. What was required was immense discipline to mask the large amount of energy released with teleportation.

Or could it be that he wasn't teleporting at all? This barrier before him did, after all, ward off against teleportation. The only question was whether it stopped one from entering and leaving or if prohibited one from teleporting inside. With all the residual magic from the princess's attack, he couldn't tell the difference between the two similar wards.

He filed away those thoughts once he saw the wretched boy moving in to strike down one of his servants. While those fools were stunned from the fiery trap, the prophesied swordsman struck down one of the cloaked warriors. Not a moment later, another fell to the enemy.

Ganondorf barely managed to followed the swordsman's movements. He was disturbed by the display of power behind the prophecy. He doubted the boy could defeat him on his own, but alongside the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny, the light of Prophecy would definitely test his power. The raven-haired swordsman could not be allowed to reach his full potential.

A careful approach had to be taken. The attack on Lon Lon Ranch may very well have caused this outburst of power. If emotion evoking situations were the reason behind the boy's sudden ability to fight, then Ganondorf had reorganize his plans. While demoralizing attacks on Hyrule would crush the enemy's resolve, it was likely they would increase the swordsman's power.

A surge of energy began to build up below, causing Ganondorf to break his thoughts. Only two of his servants remained, and one of them had just lunged at the enemy. The buildup of energy faded as a massive explosion rocked the ground below.

The Evil King furrowed his brow. Had the general really ordered the remaining woman to sacrifice herself? He shook his head. He knew who they were to each other; the woman had willingly given up her life in order to protect her husband.

They were fools to have their emotions empower their lives, but still, this matter disturbed him. Even if Galek had given the other six free control of their minds, they would have been forced to their master's command. Though he had never instructed them specifically, his intent was quite clear that they were not to fall to the enemy.

Ganondorf knew the swordsman would not be defeated by a petty sacrificial attack. Within a few moments, the boy parted the smoke away and struck down the general.

The domed ward dropped as the enemy teleported away, leaving Ganondorf to his thoughts. Just how powerful was this light of Prophecy?

**. . . . . . . . . .**

Seraph found himself afloat in a void of white purity. He knew better than to panic this time. He had never quite pondered those words he had heard in this very plain of nothingness.

_"You have shown much Courage to venture this far, but your journey has only just begun. Find the Power of the nine holders. Only with their restoration will the tenth be revived. The light of Prophecy will guide you."_

Whoever had uttered those words before, he knew, had a hand in bringing him this far. He liked to think it was one of Goddesses, but he supposed that may have been a bit presumptuous.

He didn't have to wait long before a voice rang throughout the void. Unlike the last time, where he felt a sense of direction and encouragement, these words seemed to have an underlay of pure power.

"Power without Wisdom signifies little. Immerse yourself in the knowledge of your strength and mold it into Wisdom. Only then shall your Power know no bounds."

Seraph didn't the chance to analyze these words, as a blinding flash of light brought him back to reality.

**. . . . . . . . . .**

Malon quietly entered the castle infirmary and glanced at the bed in the far corner. It had been two weeks since she had lost her father and her home, and her newest friend, whom she had grown to care for greatly, had yet to awaken. She walked off to the side to gather the potion that treated Seraph's only ailment – severe magical exhaustion.

Ever since the destruction of the ranch, she had stayed here in the castle. The pain of loss still consumed her, but she tried to stay as strong as she could. With Link and Zelda always planning for battle and Seraph unconscious, she kept up a firm resolve to not break down as long as she was alone. Still, whenever she thought about her father or the ranch, she would nearly fall apart.

She even felt pity for Ingo. Though she loathed the man for the time he was in charge of the ranch, she would not wish his last moments upon anyone. There were times, though, where she made an exception to Ganondorf.

Though, Zelda had gotten there in time to save Ingo's life, the flames that had consumed him were of a very dark form. According to her, the fire had branded him with immense physical, mental, and emotional suffering. When Ingo had awaken, he had been in too much pain to even move. He had pleaded for someone to end his life, and Link, with pain evident in his movements, complied.

That had been over a week ago, and Malon knew Link was still fighting off the guilt. She supposed she had to be grateful that her father was asleep during the attack and had not suffered before he died.

With a bottle of a dark green potion in hand, she headed over to Seraph's bed only to find him sitting upright. She nearly dropped the bottle as she hurried over to his side.

"Seraph!" she all but yelled. He turned his head slowly and smiled weakly.

She handed him the potion, and he downed it without taking a breath. He closed his eyes and sighed. When his green eyes shone forth again, he smiled a bit more brightly.

"Thank you."

Malon took the bottle from Seraph and wasted no time before she slapped him. He yelped as he rubbed his stinging cheek.

"That's what you get for making me worry!" the redhead exclaimed.

Seraph lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry, Malon."

Her face softened as she took a seat on the bed beside him.

"I should have been here for you, not out there getting revenge."

"Stop," Malon whispered, "not now."

Seraph raised his gaze and stared into her soft blue eyes. "Then whenever you want to talk, I'll be there for you."

She smiled softly but spun around immediately as she heard footsteps coming from the hall to the infirmary. Link and Zelda appeared in the doorway, hands clasped, a moment later. They didn't take any time to notice that Seraph was awake. They quickly walked over and sat down on one of the unoccupied beds.

"I believe I said you wouldn't be able to use magic without harming yourself, Seraph," the princess said gently.

Seraph shrugged. "I actually feel fine."

Link looked down and shook his head in amusement. "That would be because you've been out for two weeks."

Black eyebrows shot up at this. "Then why are you two here? I thought you'd be in Levosa or Crelmae by now."

Zelda answered this, "There has been little movement from Ganondorf or the Crelmians. A few remote towns on the Ritoskan coastline have been attacked, but there has been no pattern that we can follow."

"It's been too quiet lately," Link continued, "and that's what bothers us. We've taken back a few towns near the Hyrulean-Levosan Border, but we're hesitant about retaking the Levona. If Ganondorf is there, we could very well lose that battle."

Seraph frowned. "Could he be building up an army for another attack on Hyrule? We were ready last time and were able to stop the Crelmians from getting into Hyrule. If they were to take a more discrete approach, they could very well attack Castle Town."

"We've considered that possibility," replied Link. "That's one of the reasons we have been hesitant to progress deeper into Levosa."

Malon remained silent. She felt out of place, as she knew little about the current position of the war. If the situation didn't have anything to do with Seraph, she doubted she would be here right now.

"Seraph, we need to discuss what happened at the end of the battle two and a half weeks ago," said Zelda. She nodded to the side of his bed where the Sword of Prophecy was currently propped against.

"The symbol of Power was lit at some point during the battle."

Seraph nodded. "It happened after I deflected Ganondorf's magic back at him."

Link and Zelda looked each other, relieved and surprised. "It's that easy?" the former murmured.

"It would seemsthat the sword recognized the magic of the Triforce of Power and absorbed a portion of it," Zelda concluded. "If that is the case, then Wisdom and Courage should be no problem to restore."

"Well that's the lesser of the two mysteries solved," Link said. "The other, Seraph, is what happened two weeks ago. You teleported through the castle's wards but didn't break them. Not only that but you didn't have the sword with you when you left, yet when the guards found you, the sword was right there at your side."

Seraph bit his lip and looked away. "Is there anyway I can tell you without words? Can magic allow you to see what happened?"

Zelda nodded. "There is a way; it is an old brand of Sheikah magic. If you bring up your memory of what happened to the surface of your thoughts, then I will be able to read them. With enough power, I can immerse myself in your memory and see what happened through your eyes."

Seraph closed his eyes and nodded. "Let's do that then." He focused on the memory of the battle, which was still fresh in his mind.

"Whenever you're ready, Your Highness."

**. . . . . . . . .**

Seraph held Malon in his arms as she cried against his chest. Despair filled his heart as he watched the pain she was going through. He too had lost his father so he was familiar with what she was experiencing, but he doubted he had been as close to his father as Malon had been to hers.

Amongst the sympathy, for lack of a stronger word, he felt for her, something else was gathering inside him. The feeling was all too familiar. It was nearly identical to when he thought Rael had sacrificed himself, but this time what he felt was more controlled.

He continued to hold the young woman, who he considered to be an angel, but as time passed, he felt his control begin to slip. He knew there was no more time.

"Malon," he said as gently as possible, "I need you to let me go."

When he saw the look on her face as she did so, he nearly broken down there. How could he leave like this when she needed him? But it was too late to turn back now.

With as much regret as he could muster, he whispered, "Forgive me."

He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he willed himself out of the infirmary with one destination in mind – the crater-scarred battlefield. He wasn't entirely sure why he chose that location, but he knew it was the right place to go.

As he teleported out of the castle, he felt something cold wash over him, but it vanished almost instantly. Before he knew it, he was standing in the giant crater formed from Zelda's lightning.

With the rain pouring down on the wasteland, the air seemed to buzz with energy. Even with the lack of life around him, he had never felt more alive. The magic around energized him to point where it disturbed him. With all this power, he could understand how easily one could be corrupted.

He felt no shame for the act of revenge he was about to commit. There was no doubt in his mind that those responsible for the attack on Lon Lon Ranch were some of those monstrosities created by Ganondorf. They were monsters, and because of that, he had no problem with eliminating them.

He tried not to revel in the power around him as he waited. The magic was intoxicating, but he would not submit to its embrace. It would be here that he vowed not to fall to the enthralls of power.

As he clenched his fist to resist the power around him, he realized he had not brought his father's sword nor the Sword of Prophecy with him. At that instant, the latter appeared in his hand. By now, this display peculiarity didn't faze him.

It wasn't long before the magic in the air distorted, and he knew they were here. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, and when the light dimmed, he saw his enemy. Seven cloaked figures all lined up ready to fall to his sword.

He could feel the eyes of the enemy leader on his. For a moment, red met green, and Seraph saw a trace of fear in the former. Without knowing how, he raised a ward over the area. He was not going to let them escape; they were going to pay.

From a completely stationary position, he burst into action. He had never run so fast, and the feeling exhilarated him. As he approached them, he quickly analyzed their formation. Their simple arrowhead would be their downfall, as it left the two in the back completely vulnerable to an attack from behind.

He focused on his power that enhanced his speed and tapped into it ever deeper. The control he had over his magic made all his movements so quick that he was barely able to keep up with his body. He didn't understand how he was able to preform all this magic without any knowledge of how to do so, but he honestly didn't care. He didn't care if he lost his control of this power afterward so long as the enemy had been vanquished.

His body rushed through the air, and he managed to stop himself right behind the enemy to the far right. He let his sword fly through the air, and the blade effortlessly sliced through the enemy's torso. He spun around swiftly, his hair whipping through the air, and with a simple of his hand, he conjured a silver spear and fired it off at the other enemy in the back row. The spear faced no resistance as it pierced through its unsuspecting target.

Seraph knew he had lost the element of surprise once the remaining five enemies surrounded him. He realized they were enhancing their speed with their magic too, but oddly enough, they didn't seem any faster than a normal being.

Spirals of fire burst from the ground in front of each of the cloaked enemies, and with near perfect unison, they sped across the ground toward him. Everything seemed to slow down as the flames neared him, and he knew he could dodge the attack if he really wanted to. But the power he could sense in the fires felt so weak that he knew he could stand his ground.

A moment before the flames struck him, his magic flared around him. As the fiery pillars combined into one massive flaming spiral, a comforting warmth enveloped him. There was no pain. If anything, the magic surrounding him made him feel even more alive, if that were even possible.

He raised his free hand above his head and concentrated on the warmth around him. The column of fire that had appeared to consume him began to weaken as it gathered itself in his hand. When he could no longer feel the heat of the flames, he closed his hand around a small crystalline sphere.

Even though he could not see all of them, Seraph knew his enemies were moving in to cut him down. He lowered his hand holding the crystal to his side and waited for them to get closer. Just as their swords were about to strike, he dropped the orb to the ground and concentrated on his power again. With a barely visible blur, he slipped past the enemy.

As he stopped off to the side, he saw the same spiral of fire rise up into the air. His enemies were thrown back from the eruption, so he moved in to finish them off. He dashed over to the closest enemy, and before it could recover, he thrust his sword through its back.

Faster than he had anticipated, the remaining enemies began to move to their leader. However, he managed to cut one off as he swung his sword through the air; a ribbon of silver light emerged from the blade and soared toward the nearest cloaked figure. It never stood a chance.

Out of the corner of his eye, Seraph could see the three last enemies. With the same enhanced speed he had grown accustomed to in such a short time, he moved behind them. Going for the closest enemy, he grabbed the cloaked figure by the neck and wrenched down. At the same time, he bashed the hilt of his sword inside his enemy's upper back. He knew he had succeeded in destroying one more of these monsters with the sound a squelching _Crack!_.

He dropped the cloak left behind and stared at the last two figures before him. One, he knew, was the leader, who he presumed was once a man. The other, he could tell at a close proximity, was a woman. He prepared to strike down the former as he moved in, but in a surprising move, the woman stopped her comrade. With what Seraph would have considered to be a touching gesture had she been mortal, the enemy lunged at him.

He could sense a buildup of energy in the woman as she neared him. He knew she would release the power welling up inside her, and he knew it would do no harm to him. When she was right in front of him, he did nothing to stop her.

The moment she discharged her power, the ground around Seraph lowered as debris burst into the air around him. Amongst the smoke, there was a jolting feel of magic around him. The energy surrounding him was so pure that the flames before paled in comparison. His body shook as he fought off the seduction of power.

As he heard a terrible cry from the remaining enemy, he could feel his control slipping, so he swung his sword out in front of him. The sheer physical force behind this cleared the smoke, though it did nothing to remove the magic in his presence.

There before him, on his knees, was the final obstacle from completing his revenge. Before he could end him, however, the enemy jumped to his feet with a snarl and lunged at him. Even faster than before, Seraph moved behind his enemy and thrust his sword into the cloaked man's lower back.

The moment his sword pierced the enemy, he knew something was wrong. The man was _bleeding._ He was still mortal. Seraph froze as the blood in his face drained away. The enthralls of power vanished. This wasn't what he wanted.

Before he could fully process his thoughts, his enemy spun around on his knees and lunged at him again, sword thrust forward. Seraph was broken from his daze, and he caught the blade of his enemy's sword. With a sharp twist, he broke off a portion of the blade and moved away. At the enemy stumbled forward, he slammed the broken blade into the back of the man's head.

As the body dropped to the ground, blood began to pour from the head and the back. Unlike the others, this last enemy did not become a mere cloak upon death.

Seraph looked away. He felt his power leaving him and knew he could not stay here. Just as he willed himself to this wasteland, he teleported away, leaving his ward to fall.

Victory had never felt so bittersweet.

**. . . . . . . . . .**

Seraph opened his eyes and gasped for air as his mind rushed back into the present. He immediately became aware of the warm hand holding his own. It was calloused from years of hard work, yet its gentle grip exuded a softness he couldn't say he was familiar with.

"You were shaking," Malon said softly, answering his unspoken answer. He smiled his thanks and gently squeezed her hand.

While Zelda had not exhibited as much distress, she was still shaken up from experiencing Seraph's ordeal. Link was at her side, holding her hand and had his other arm around her waist. He shifted their bodies so that her back was against his chest and smiled as she relaxed into his embrace.

The princess stared at Seraph for a moment, who turned his face away. Her look was a calculating one, and it contained a trace of fear amongst her awe.

"Forgive me," Zelda murmured.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Your Highness," Seraph spoke, slowly looking forward. "You are right to fear me after what I did. It was – "

"An act committed in the midst of an emotional frenzy," she cut him off. "Seraph, power is wondrous when used righteously. It is something that flows within all of us. It is control that you must learn to master.

"It is true, yes, that you nearly fell to the lure of power, but you succeeded in controlling yourself when it mattered.

"Now, you should rest. Experiencing that moment once more could not have been easy for you."

Seraph nodded as the blondes stood up from the bed which they sat on. Just as they had entered hand-in-hand, they left the same way though Link was holding Zelda closer than before.

When Malon did not move, Seraph looked at her questioningly.

"You don't look like you want to rest. If anything, you look like you want to talk about what just happened."

He hesitated as he avoided her gaze. "Malon, what did you think of me after you saved me? You know I killed those three. . . people."

She squeezed his hand which she had not yet let go. "They weren't people, Seraph. From what I saw, they left nothing upon their deaths. You don't have to feel guilty about that."

He slowly brought his eyes to hers. "And I don't, not at all. I feel remorse for those I killed in the battle over two weeks ago, but that was war. I can accept those deaths as self-defense. When I left to get revenge though. . ." his voice trailed off.

"Seraph, whatever happened, it is obvious you're feeling remorseful about it," Malon said gently. "That's what matters."

He took a deep breath before continuing, "There were seven of them. I thought they were the same as the three you saw me kill before. I had no problem enacting my revenge on them. I slaughtered them and I felt nothing good from it. If anything, I was energized from destroying them."

There was no fear in her face as he said this, and relief momentarily filled him. He immediately squashed it down as he had not yet reached the end.

"When there was only one left, I went to end him as I had the others. It was then that I realized that he was still normal. He bled, something that has never happened to any of them."

"And he attacked you during your moment of hesitation," Malon said shrewdly. When Seraph nodded, she finished, "Then you killed him out of self-defense."

"But –"

"Seraph, I do not think you regret getting revenge for me. A part of me is touched by that, actually. And yet, you do feel remorse, even if it was at the end, for something that you shouldn't.

"Zelda said you don't have the control to use your power correctly, and I saw the awe in her face. I believe in you, Seraph. I believe that one day you will use your power to change the world for the good."

As his green eyes stared into her orbs of gentle blue, Seraph couldn't find the words to express his gratitude. Instead, he slowly inched his face to hers and slightly tilted his head. Malon mirrored his movements, and as their lips brushed against each other, they slowly closed their eyes.

Seraph had never experienced a warmth such as this. The comfort he felt from the power he wielded two weeks ago was nothing compared to this. He wrapped his around her and deepened the kiss.

Malon had never felt so right in her life. The solace she felt in his arms made her feel like she could throw away all her worries and become more whole than ever. As he deepened the kiss, she complied as her heart raced.

When they finally separated, neither of them needed words. The look in the other's eyes told them all they needed to know.

"Stay with me?" he whispered.

She simply smiled and snuggled against his chest. As he laid down on the bed with Malon in his arms, Seraph was at peace.

. . . . . . . . . .

Link silently walked the halls of the castle. He'd not been able to sleep the night before with everything on his mind and had awaken far earlier than he was used to. Zelda had told him of what happened with Seraph. She would have offered to show him if she didn't wish to violate the raven-haired swordsman's privacy. Her consideration made him smiled. Goddesses, he loved that woman.

He knew how power could be intoxicating when it was untrained, and he understood why Seraph had to fight off the temptation. Still, the whole matter worried him. Not often did a display of magic leave Zelda stunned like that. After all, she possessed the second most powerful magic in the world, only behind Ganondorf. If Seraph's uncontrolled power evoked such a reaction, what would his true potential do?

The sound of fighting emerged from the courtyard he was about to pass. Who was awake at this unholy hour? He stopped at the arched entrance and found Seraph sparring with Varrel. He assumed they were quite far into their fight considering the sweat covering their faces.

Seraph twisted away to dodge Varrel's sword and parried an attack that proceeded immediately. The general seemed to be unaffected, so he took a step back and readied himself with both his swords. He wasn't sure if he was more comfortable with wielding one or two blades, so he would train using both styles. He'd fought with only one sword for all of his life, but wielding two just seemed right.

He used the flat side of his father's sword to parry a thrust from Varrel, skidding the blade away. Simultaneously, he swung the Sword of Prophecy forward only to be blocked by the small shield strapped on the general's left arm.

That was the opportunity Seraph was looking for. He tossed his father's sword to the ground behind him and shifted all his body weight forward, pushing Varrel back slightly. He sprang up from the ground, spinning around at the same time, and lashed his heel against his opponent's chest. The physical force caused the general to lose his balance and pushed the younger man back to where his fallen sword was.

For the short moment he was in the air, Seraph threw his sword at Varrel's feet. As the blade plunged into the ground, a slight shockwave emerged, which threw the general onto his back.

The younger swordsman hit the ground with a roll and without stopping, he grabbed his other sword from the ground and propelled himself off the earth. As he sprang into the air again, he hurled his sword at his opponent who was only just recovering. Before the general could get to his feet, he found the blade protruding from the ground only a hair from the side of his head.

The move had been executed so smoothly that even Seraph was surprised that he managed to pull it off. Ever since he had come into touch with the power from the Sword of Prophecy, techniques, with a blade, magic, or both, had been pouring into his mind. His movements had felt so natural that he wasn't even sure what he was doing.

Clapping from the archway caught both fighters' attention, and they turned to see Link walk into the courtyard.

"You've definitely gotten better, Seraph," he said.

Varrel jumped to his feet and offered his hand to the younger raven-haired swordsman. Seraph shook the general's hand and went to retrieve his swords.

"What are you doing up so early, Link?" the older man asked.

"I couldn't sleep," he replied. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be home at this time."

Varrel shrugged. "I came by to check on some plans and found Seraph here sparring with one of the recruits. Needless to say, it wasn't a fair fight." As Seraph walked over to the two generals, the elder continued, "Your style is too erratic, yet it has an amazing fluidity for your form."

The younger swordsman shrugged. "You try having all these techniques crammed into your head and not have it affect your form."

Varrel chuckled. "I suppose you're right. You beat me this time, but you won't get me so easily next time." He clapped Link on the shoulder as he began to leave. "Well, I'd better get back to work. I did come here for a reason, after all."

"So why are you up this early, Seraph?" Link asked.

Seraph shrugged again. "I thought I'd get some training in."

The blonde looked at him astutely. "That's not all, is it?"

The raven-haired man sighed and nodded. "After what happened, I need to learn how to control my power. I wouldn't try using my magic without anyone around, so I thought I'd at least spar to help me better focus on battle."

Link didn't say anything and continued to stare at his newest comrade. After a few moments, the silence started to become uncomfortable. Seraph was about to say something when the hero finally spoke.

"You've found something worth fighting for, haven't you?" He stopped and shook his head. "No, not some_thing_. Some_one_."

Seraph simply nodded and didn't say anymore. He knew who he was fighting for now, and he knew he had to become stronger if he wanted to protect her. She believed in him, and he would change the world for her or die trying. There was no doubt in his mind. If the situation called for it, he would gladly sacrifice himself to save Malon.

* * *

**Note:** And the chapter's shorter than the last one. Almost seven weeks for this? Don't get me wrong. I'm happy with the way it turned out; it just took too long. Well, until next time, which hopefully won't be as far away.

**Thanks to my reviewers!**

LoveandZeLink

jenzorca**  
**


	11. Indefinite Hiatus

I really hate to do this, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to put _The Light of Prophecy_ on an indefinite hiatus. I've hit that wall that I always do when writing, but I can't overcome it at this point. I will most likely come back to this at some point, as I do want finish it, but at this time, I can't bring myself to keep writing this.

My sincerest apologies to my few faithful readers.


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